Lampkin last name popularity, history, and meaning

Find out how popular the last name Lampkin is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Lampkin.

Meaning of Lampkin

An English occupational surname for a maker or seller of lamps.

Lampkin, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Lampkin surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Lampkin in America

Lampkin is the 5743rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Lampkin surname appeared 6,034 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Lampkin.

We can also compare 2010 data for Lampkin to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 5743 5944 -3.44%
Count 6,034 5,331 12.37%
Proportion per 100k 2.05 1.98 3.47%

The history of the last name 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.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Lampkin

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Lampkin.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

  1. White only
  2. Black only
  3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
  4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
  5. Hispanic
  6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Lampkin was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 27.53% 1,661
Non-Hispanic Black Only 65.16% 3,932
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 0.35% 21
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.65% 39
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 3.96% 239
Hispanic Origin 2.35% 142

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Lampkin has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 27.53% 28.72% -4.23%
Black 65.16% 65.79% -0.96%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.35% 0.24% 37.29%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.65% 0.94% -36.48%
Two or More Races 3.96% 2.64% 40.00%
Hispanic 2.35% 1.67% 33.83%

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Lampkin was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Lampkin, please contact us.

Reference this page

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If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

"Lampkin last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on October 5, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/lampkin-surname-popularity/.

"Lampkin last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/lampkin-surname-popularity/. Accessed 5 October, 2024

Lampkin last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/lampkin-surname-popularity/.

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