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

Land, 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 Land surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Land in America

Land is the 1704th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Land surname appeared 21,116 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 7 people would have the surname Land.

We can also compare 2010 data for Land 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 Land

The surname LAND is of Anglo-Saxon origin, derived from the Old English word "land" meaning "earth" or "territory." It is believed to have originated in England during the early medieval period, likely before the 11th century.

Initially, the name LAND was likely used as a descriptive surname, referring to someone who lived or worked on a particular land or estate. Over time, it became a hereditary surname passed down through generations.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the LAND surname can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landholdings in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The name appears in various spellings, including "Landa" and "Lande."

In the 12th century, the surname LAND was documented in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire, which recorded landowners and taxpayers in the region. Notable bearers of the name during this period included William de la Lande, who was mentioned in the Curia Regis Rolls of Essex in 1194.

Throughout the Middle Ages, the LAND surname was associated with various place names in England, such as Landbeach in Cambridgeshire and Landford in Wiltshire. These place names likely contributed to the widespread adoption of the surname in those areas.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the LAND surname was Walter de la Lande, who was born in Normandy, France, around 1165. He later accompanied King Richard I on the Third Crusade and was appointed the governor of Cyprus in 1191.

Another prominent figure was Sir John Lande (c. 1470–1538), an English politician and courtier who served as Lord Deputy of Calais during the reign of Henry VIII. He played a crucial role in the defense of Calais against the French in 1536.

In the 17th century, Edward Land (1637–1692) was a notable English mathematician and philosopher. He is best known for his work on the theory of equations and his contributions to the development of symbolic algebra.

During the 18th century, John Landen (1719–1790) was a renowned English mathematician and scientific writer. He made significant contributions to the fields of calculus, mechanics, and optics, and is remembered for his work on elliptic integrals.

In the 19th century, Edwin Herbert Land (1909–1991) was an American scientist and inventor, best known for his invention of the Polaroid instant camera and the development of polarized sunglasses. His revolutionary work in photography and optics earned him numerous awards and accolades.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Land

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

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

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

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