2000
#7,184
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,283
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.59
Rare Last name
Landes
A toponymic surname derived from a region in southwestern France, indicating one's origins or land ownership there.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,786 Americans carry the last name Landes. That puts it at #7,646 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.40 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 71,616 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Landes 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.
Bearers in the US
4.8K
1 in 71,616
Census rank
#7,646
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,174 bearers of the surname Landes in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.40 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7646th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Landes, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Landes
The surname Landes has its origins in the northwestern regions of France, particularly in Normandy and Brittany, where it first emerged during the medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Old French word "lande," which referred to a heath or barren land, suggesting that the name may have initially been used to identify someone who lived near or owned such lands.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Landes can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landowners and property holdings in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. This historical document mentions individuals bearing variations of the name, such as Ralph de la Lande and Robert de la Lande, indicating the presence of the name in Norman-controlled regions of England during that time.
Over the centuries, the Landes name has been associated with several notable individuals. One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name was Jean de Landes, a French nobleman and military commander who fought in the Hundred Years' War against the English during the 14th century. Another prominent figure was Guillaume des Landes (c. 1540-1611), a French jurist and legal scholar who served as a counselor in the Parlement of Normandy.
In the realm of literature, the name Landes has also left its mark. Louis-Mathieu Landes (1753-1824) was a French philosopher and author who wrote extensively on topics such as metaphysics and morality. Additionally, Jean-Baptiste Landes (1778-1862) was a French writer and historian who authored several works on the history of Normandy and Brittany.
Moving into more recent history, one cannot overlook the contributions of Gaston Landes (1865-1945), a French engineer and inventor who played a crucial role in the development of early automobiles and aviation. His innovations, including the design of a four-cylinder engine and the construction of one of the first successful airplanes in France, earned him widespread recognition in the field of engineering.
While the surname Landes may have originated in northwestern France, it has since spread to various parts of the world, including England, where it can be traced back to the Norman conquest, and other regions influenced by French culture and migration patterns over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Landes
Among Census respondents with the surname Landes, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Landes 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 Landes surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.0% · 3,842
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 132
- Two or more races2.9% · 119
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 45
- Black or African American0.6% · 23
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Landes
Landes 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
#7,550
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,404
+121 bearers (+2.8%)
Per 100,000 1.49
Rank movement Down 366 places
2020
#7,646
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,174
-230 bearers (-5.2%)
Per 100,000 1.40
Rank movement Down 96 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,184 | 4,283 | 1.59 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,550 | 4,404 | 1.49 | +121 bearers (+2.8%) | Down 366 places |
| 2020 | #7,646 | 4,174 | 1.40 | -230 bearers (-5.2%) | Down 96 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 Landes 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 | #7,550 | #7,646 | -1.3% |
| Count | 4,404 | 4,174 | -5.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.49 | 1.40 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Landes bearers went from 4,404 to 4,174 (-5.2% change). The surname moved down 96 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,550 to #7,646.
FAQ
Landes surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Landes?
Name Census estimates that about 4,786 living Americans carry the surname Landes. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 71,616 residents.
How common is Landes?
Landes ranks #7,646 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.40 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,174 people with the surname Landes. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,786), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.4 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.40 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Landes.
Has Landes become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Landes went from 4,404 recorded bearers to 4,174. That is a decrease of 230 (-5.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,550 to #7,646.
What does the Census say about the background of Landes?
Among Census respondents with the surname Landes, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Landes in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.0% (3,842 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Landes appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.0%), Hispanic (3.2%), Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Landes (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 Landes mean?
A toponymic surname derived from a region in southwestern France, indicating one's origins or land ownership there. 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 Landes (1.40 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 Landes?
Find out how many people are called Landes on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.