2000
#12,168
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,347
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.87
Rare Last name
Landy
Derived from an Old English term for a "long meadow" or a topographical name describing someone living near a meadow.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,499 Americans carry the last name Landy. That puts it at #13,372 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.73 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 137,157 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Landy 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 Landy with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.5K
1 in 137,157
Census rank
#13,372
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,179 bearers of the surname Landy in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.73 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13372nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Landy, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.0%. The next largest groups are Black (15.9%) and Hispanic (6.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Landy
The surname Landy is of English origin, with roots that can be traced back to the early medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "land," which referred to a landowner or someone who held a significant amount of property.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of landowners and properties in England compiled in 1086 under the orders of William the Conqueror. The Domesday Book mentions a landowner named Radulfus de Landa, which suggests that the name was already in use by the late 11th century.
During the Middle Ages, the name Landy was particularly prevalent in the counties of Lincolnshire and Yorkshire, where many individuals bearing this surname were recorded in various historical documents, such as parish registers and tax rolls.
In the 13th century, a notable figure named Sir John Landy served as the Sheriff of Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire, indicating that the family had gained significant social and political standing by that time.
Another prominent individual with the surname Landy was Sir Thomas Landy, who lived in the 15th century and served as a member of the English Parliament during the reign of Henry VI.
During the 16th century, the name Landy appeared in various spellings, including Landey, Laundy, and Laundie, reflecting the fluid nature of surname spellings in that era.
In the 17th century, a renowned mathematician and astronomer named John Landy made significant contributions to the fields of mathematics and astronomy. He was born in 1610 and is credited with developing advanced methods for calculating the positions of celestial bodies.
The 18th century saw the rise of William Landy, a noted English poet and playwright who was born in 1733. His works, including several popular plays and collections of poems, were widely celebrated during his lifetime.
In the 19th century, Sir George Landy, born in 1812, was a prominent British military officer who served in the Crimean War and later became a Member of Parliament.
Throughout its history, the surname Landy has been associated with individuals from various walks of life, including landowners, government officials, military leaders, scholars, and artists, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and achievements of those who have borne this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Landy
Among Census respondents with the surname Landy, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.0%. The next largest groups are Black (15.9%) and Hispanic (6.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Landy 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 Landy surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White74.0% · 1,613
- Black or African American15.9% · 346
- Hispanic or Latino6.6% · 144
- Two or more races2.5% · 54
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 16
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Landy
Landy 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
#12,525
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,474
+127 bearers (+5.4%)
Per 100,000 0.84
Rank movement Down 357 places
2020
#13,372
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,179
-295 bearers (-11.9%)
Per 100,000 0.73
Rank movement Down 847 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,168 | 2,347 | 0.87 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,525 | 2,474 | 0.84 | +127 bearers (+5.4%) | Down 357 places |
| 2020 | #13,372 | 2,179 | 0.73 | -295 bearers (-11.9%) | Down 847 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 Landy 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 | #12,525 | #13,372 | -6.8% |
| Count | 2,474 | 2,179 | -11.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.84 | 0.73 | -13.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Landy bearers went from 2,474 to 2,179 (-11.9% change). The surname moved down 847 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,525 to #13,372.
FAQ
Landy surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Landy?
Name Census estimates that about 2,499 living Americans carry the surname Landy. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 137,157 residents.
How common is Landy?
Landy ranks #13,372 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.73 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 2,179 people with the surname Landy. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,499), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.73 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.73 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 Landy.
Has Landy become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Landy went from 2,474 recorded bearers to 2,179. That is a decrease of 295 (-11.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,525 to #13,372.
What does the Census say about the background of Landy?
Among Census respondents with the surname Landy, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.0%. The next largest groups are Black (15.9%) and Hispanic (6.6%). 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 Landy in the 2020 Census, accounting for 74.0% (1,613 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Landy appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (74.0%), Black (15.9%), Hispanic (6.6%). 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 Landy (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 Landy mean?
Derived from an Old English term for a "long meadow" or a topographical name describing someone living near a meadow. 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 Landy (0.73 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 Americans have the surname Landy?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.