2000
#6,664
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,675
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.73
Rare Last name
Landau
A habitational surname referring to a person from any of several places named Landau in Germany.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,652 Americans carry the last name Landau. That puts it at #5,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.94 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 51,527 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Landau 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 Landau with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.7K
1 in 51,527
Census rank
#5,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,801 bearers of the surname Landau in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.94 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Landau, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Landau
The surname Landau originated in Germany, with roots dating back to the Middle Ages. The name is derived from the German words "land" meaning "country" and "au" meaning "meadow" or "water meadow," suggesting a connection to rural or agricultural areas.
One of the earliest known references to the name Landau can be found in the town of Landau in der Pfalz, situated in the modern-day state of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. This town was first mentioned in historical records as early as the 9th century, and it is likely that the surname Landau emerged from this region.
During the 13th and 14th centuries, the name Landau appeared in various legal documents and records across different regions of Germany. Notably, a certain Heinrich Landau was mentioned in a document from the city of Nuremberg in 1304, indicating the spread of this surname beyond its origins.
In the 16th century, the Landau family gained prominence through the figure of Johann Landau (1490-1542), a German theologian and reformer who played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation. He was a close associate of Martin Luther and contributed to the translation of the Bible into German.
Another notable individual with the surname Landau was Georg Landau (1807-1879), a German-born American lawyer and politician who served as the 20th Mayor of Baltimore from 1860 to 1863. He was also a prominent figure in the Union movement during the American Civil War.
In the 19th century, the name Landau was associated with the Landau carriage, a type of four-wheeled horse-drawn vehicle that originated in the town of Landau in der Pfalz. This connection further highlights the geographical origins of the surname.
Other noteworthy individuals with the surname Landau include Walter Landau (1909-1988), an American film producer and director, and Lev Landau (1908-1968), a Soviet physicist who made significant contributions to the field of theoretical physics and won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1962.
While the surname Landau has its roots in Germany, it has since spread to various parts of the world, including the United States, Canada, and other countries, due to emigration and migration patterns over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Landau
Among Census respondents with the surname Landau, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Landau 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 Landau surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.2% · 5,466
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 174
- Two or more races1.7% · 101
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 36
- Black or African American0.4% · 23
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Landau
Landau 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
#6,137
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,582
+907 bearers (+19.4%)
Per 100,000 1.89
Rank movement Up 527 places
2020
#5,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,801
+219 bearers (+3.9%)
Per 100,000 1.94
Rank movement Up 380 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,664 | 4,675 | 1.73 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,137 | 5,582 | 1.89 | +907 bearers (+19.4%) | Up 527 places |
| 2020 | #5,757 | 5,801 | 1.94 | +219 bearers (+3.9%) | Up 380 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 Landau 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 | #6,137 | #5,757 | 6.2% |
| Count | 5,582 | 5,801 | 3.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.89 | 1.94 | 2.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Landau bearers went from 5,582 to 5,801 (+3.9% change). The surname moved up 380 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,137 to #5,757.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Landau
FAQ
Landau surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Landau?
Name Census estimates that about 6,652 living Americans carry the surname Landau. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 51,527 residents.
How common is Landau?
Landau ranks #5,757 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.94 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 5,801 people with the surname Landau. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,652), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.94 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.94 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 Landau.
Has Landau become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Landau went from 5,582 recorded bearers to 5,801. That is an increase of 219 (+3.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #6,137 to #5,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Landau?
Among Census respondents with the surname Landau, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Landau in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.2% (5,466 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Landau appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.2%), Hispanic (3.0%), Two or More Races (1.7%). 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 Landau (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 Landau mean?
A habitational surname referring to a person from any of several places named Landau in Germany. 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 Landau (1.94 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 people have the last name Landau?
For a quick modern take, check how many people are called Landau on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.