2000
#5,944
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,331
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.98
Rare Last name
Lampkin
An English occupational surname for a maker or seller of lamps.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,448 Americans carry the last name Lampkin. That puts it at #5,913 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.88 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 53,157 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lampkin surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Lampkin with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.4K
1 in 53,157
Census rank
#5,913
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,623 bearers of the surname Lampkin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.88 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5913th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lampkin, the largest self-reported group is Black at 64.6%. The next largest groups are White (25.2%) and Two or More Races (5.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lampkin
The surname Lampkin is of English origin and dates back to the late 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "lamecan," which means "little lamp." This suggests that the name was likely an occupational surname given to someone who worked as a lamplighter or lampmaker.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from the year 1199, where a person named Robert Lampkin is mentioned. The surname also appears in various other historical records from the 13th and 14th centuries, such as the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire (1275) and the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield (1317).
In the Domesday Book of 1086, there are references to places like "Lamburn" and "Lambourne," which may have been derived from the same root word as Lampkin. These place names could have influenced the development of the surname in certain regions.
Notable individuals with the surname Lampkin include John Lampkin (1640-1717), an English clergyman and author who wrote a book titled "A Commentary on the Revelations of St. John the Divine." Another Lampkin of note was William Lampkin (1776-1857), a British naval officer who served during the Napoleonic Wars.
In the United States, one of the earliest recorded instances of the surname is that of Thomas Lampkin, who was born in Virginia in 1685. The name also appears in the records of the American Revolutionary War, with soldiers such as Jonathan Lampkin (1752-1820) and David Lampkin (1760-1834) serving in the Continental Army.
Other notable individuals with the surname Lampkin include Charles Lampkin (1904-1980), an American jazz drummer and bandleader, and Virgil Lampkin (1920-1999), a pioneering African American football player who played for the Los Angeles Dons in the 1940s.
While the surname Lampkin may not be as prevalent as some others, it has a rich history dating back several centuries and has been borne by individuals from various walks of life, including clergymen, military personnel, and musicians.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lampkin
Among Census respondents with the surname Lampkin, the largest self-reported group is Black at 64.6%. The next largest groups are White (25.2%) and Two or More Races (5.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Lampkin bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Lampkin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American64.6% · 3,632
- White25.2% · 1,418
- Two or more races5.3% · 300
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 187
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 48
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 38
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lampkin
Lampkin appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#5,743
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,034
+703 bearers (+13.2%)
Per 100,000 2.05
Rank movement Up 201 places
2020
#5,913
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,623
-411 bearers (-6.8%)
Per 100,000 1.88
Rank movement Down 170 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,944 | 5,331 | 1.98 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,743 | 6,034 | 2.05 | +703 bearers (+13.2%) | Up 201 places |
| 2020 | #5,913 | 5,623 | 1.88 | -411 bearers (-6.8%) | Down 170 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Lampkin surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #5,743 | #5,913 | -3.0% |
| Count | 6,034 | 5,623 | -6.8% |
| Per 100K | 2.05 | 1.88 | -8.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lampkin bearers went from 6,034 to 5,623 (-6.8% change). The surname moved down 170 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,743 to #5,913.
FAQ
Lampkin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lampkin?
Name Census estimates that about 6,448 living Americans carry the surname Lampkin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 53,157 residents.
How common is Lampkin?
Lampkin ranks #5,913 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.88 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,623 people with the surname Lampkin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,448), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.88 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.88 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Lampkin.
Has Lampkin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lampkin went from 6,034 recorded bearers to 5,623. That is a decrease of 411 (-6.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,743 to #5,913.
What does the Census say about the background of Lampkin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lampkin, the largest self-reported group is Black at 64.6%. The next largest groups are White (25.2%) and Two or More Races (5.3%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Lampkin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 64.6% (3,632 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lampkin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (64.6%), White (25.2%), Two or More Races (5.3%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Lampkin (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Lampkin mean?
An English occupational surname for a maker or seller of lamps. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Lampkin (1.88 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many Americans have the surname Lampkin?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.