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

Lamson, 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 Lamson surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Lamson in America

Lamson is the 11044th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Lamson surname appeared 2,879 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Lamson.

We can also compare 2010 data for Lamson 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.

The history of the last name Lamson

The surname Lamson has its origins in England, with records dating back to the 13th century. The name is derived from the Old English words "lamb" and "sunu," meaning "son of the lamb keeper" or "son of the lamb farmer." It is believed that the name originally referred to individuals whose occupation involved tending to lambs or sheep.

In ancient times, surnames were often derived from occupations, physical characteristics, or locations. The Lamson surname likely originated as a descriptive name for someone who worked with lambs or sheep, possibly as a shepherd or farmer. Over time, it became a hereditary surname passed down through generations.

One of the earliest known records of the Lamson surname is found in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire, dated 1273, which mentions a "William Lambessone." This spelling variation highlights the evolution of the name from its Old English roots to its modern form.

The Lamson name can also be traced to various locations in England, particularly in the counties of Cambridgeshire, Lincolnshire, and Yorkshire. Some early records include John Lamson, mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire in 1301, and Richard Lamson, recorded in the Lay Subsidy Rolls of Cambridgeshire in 1327.

Notable individuals with the Lamson surname include:

1. John Lamson (c. 1588-1659), an early settler in Massachusetts Bay Colony and one of the founders of Ipswich, Massachusetts.
2. David Lamson (1792-1847), an American minister and educator who served as the second president of Western Reserve College (now Case Western Reserve University) from 1828 to 1835.
3. Nathaniel Lamson (1805-1869), an American lawyer and politician who served as a U.S. Representative from Massachusetts from 1855 to 1857.
4. Roswell Lamson (1864-1940), an American author and journalist known for his works on Native American history and culture.
5. Peggy Lamson (1919-2005), an American actress known for her roles in television shows such as "The Millionaire" and "Dragnet."

While the Lamson surname has its roots in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through migration and settlement in the Americas and other English-speaking regions.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Lamson

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

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 Lamson was:

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 Lamson has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

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 Lamson was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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