2000
#1,594
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 20,687
First available Census row
Per 100,000 7.67
Uncommon Last name
Land
An English topographic surname referring to someone who lived on or near land or property.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 22,650 Americans carry the last name Land. That puts it at #1,772 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 6.61 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 15,133 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Land 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 Land with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
23K
1 in 15,133
Census rank
#1,772
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
6.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
20K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 19,752 bearers of the surname Land in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 6.61 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1772nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Land, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.8%. The next largest groups are Black (11.9%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Land
Among Census respondents with the surname Land, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.8%. The next largest groups are Black (11.9%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Land 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 Land surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White78.8% · 15,574
- Black or African American11.9% · 2,343
- Two or more races4.5% · 881
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 679
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 171
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 104
Timeline
Historical Census data for Land
Land 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
#1,704
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 21,116
+429 bearers (+2.1%)
Per 100,000 7.16
Rank movement Down 110 places
2020
#1,772
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 19,752
-1,364 bearers (-6.5%)
Per 100,000 6.61
Rank movement Down 68 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,594 | 20,687 | 7.67 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,704 | 21,116 | 7.16 | +429 bearers (+2.1%) | Down 110 places |
| 2020 | #1,772 | 19,752 | 6.61 | -1,364 bearers (-6.5%) | Down 68 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 Land 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 | #1,704 | #1,772 | -4.0% |
| Count | 21,116 | 19,752 | -6.5% |
| Per 100K | 7.16 | 6.61 | -7.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Land bearers went from 21,116 to 19,752 (-6.5% change). The surname moved down 68 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,704 to #1,772.
FAQ
Land surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Land?
Name Census estimates that about 22,650 living Americans carry the surname Land. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 15,133 residents.
How common is Land?
Land ranks #1,772 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 6.61 per 100,000 residents, which is about 7 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 19,752 people with the surname Land. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (22,650), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 6.61 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 6.61 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 7 of them to have the surname Land.
Has Land become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Land went from 21,116 recorded bearers to 19,752. That is a decrease of 1,364 (-6.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,704 to #1,772.
What does the Census say about the background of Land?
Among Census respondents with the surname Land, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.8%. The next largest groups are Black (11.9%) and Two or More Races (4.5%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Land in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.8% (15,574 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Land appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (78.8%), Black (11.9%), Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Land (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 Land mean?
An English topographic surname referring to someone who lived on or near land or property. 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 Land (6.61 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 common is the surname Land?
You can see how many people are called Land on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.