2010
#159,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Lapos
A surname of Greek origin meaning "flat stone".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 116 Americans carry the last name Lapos. That puts it at #155,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,954,779 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lapos 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
116
1 in 2,954,779
Census rank
#155,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
101
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 101 bearers of the surname Lapos in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 155270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lapos, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.0%. The next largest groups are Black (1.0%) and Hispanic (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lapos
The surname LAPOS is believed to have originated in the Balkan regions of Southeastern Europe, specifically in parts of modern-day Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. It likely emerged during the late medieval period, possibly as early as the 14th or 15th century.
The name LAPOS is thought to have derived from an old Slavic word related to the word "lap" or "lapa," which referred to a type of footwear or a flat, broad foot. It may have been initially used as a descriptive surname for someone with distinctive feet or as a nickname for a shoemaker or someone involved in the trade of making footwear.
Records from the 16th and 17th centuries show instances of the name LAPOS appearing in various regions of the Balkans. One notable early mention was in a church register from the village of Lapoš in the Brod-Posavina County of Croatia, dated around 1580.
In the 18th century, a man named Ivan LAPOS (1712-1789) was a prominent merchant and landowner in the town of Bihać, which was then part of the Ottoman Empire's Bosnian Eyalet. His legacy as a successful businessman and influential figure in the region helped establish the name's presence in the area.
Another notable individual with the LAPOS surname was Juraj LAPOS (1824-1892), a Croatian painter and artist who gained recognition for his landscapes and depictions of rural life in the 19th century.
During the 19th and early 20th centuries, the LAPOS surname appeared in various parts of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, including present-day Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Serbia. One distinguished bearer of the name was Ante LAPOS (1870-1936), a Croatian lawyer and politician who served as a member of the Croatian Parliament in the early 20th century.
In more recent times, Miroslav LAPOS (1919-2003) was a respected Croatian sculptor and artist who created numerous public monuments and works of art throughout the former Yugoslavia.
While the LAPOS surname may have originated in a specific region, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and diaspora communities. However, the earliest recorded instances and historical significance of the name remain rooted in the Balkan regions of Southeastern Europe.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lapos
Among Census respondents with the surname Lapos, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.0%. The next largest groups are Black (1.0%) and Hispanic (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Lapos 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 Lapos surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.0% · 98
- Black or African American1.0% · 1
- Hispanic or Latino1.0% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lapos
Lapos appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#155,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 4,442 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #159,712 | 101 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #155,270 | 101 | 0.03 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Up 4,442 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 Lapos 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 | #159,712 | #155,270 | 2.8% |
| Count | 101 | 101 | 0.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.03 | 12.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lapos bearers went from 101 to 101 (+0.0% change). The surname moved up 4,442 positions in the national ranking, going from #159,712 to #155,270.
FAQ
Lapos surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lapos?
Name Census estimates that about 116 living Americans carry the surname Lapos. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,954,779 residents.
How common is Lapos?
Lapos ranks #155,270 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 101 people with the surname Lapos. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (116), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Lapos.
Has Lapos become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lapos went from 101 recorded bearers to 101. That is an increase of 0 (+0.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #159,712 to #155,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Lapos?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lapos, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.0%. The next largest groups are Black (1.0%) and Hispanic (1.0%). 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 Lapos in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.0% (98 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lapos appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.0%), Black (1.0%), Hispanic (1.0%). 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 Lapos (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 Lapos mean?
A surname of Greek origin meaning "flat stone". 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 Lapos (0.03 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 Lapos?
You can see how common the surname Lapos is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.