2000
#5,018
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,415
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.38
Rare Last name
Lapp
A surname of English origin, derived from the Old English word "lappa," meaning a patch of cloth or a pendant.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,959 Americans carry the last name Lapp. That puts it at #3,960 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.91 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 34,417 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lapp 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
10.0K
1 in 34,417
Census rank
#3,960
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,685 bearers of the surname Lapp in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.91 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3960th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lapp, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.9%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lapp
The surname Lapp is of Scandinavian origin, with its roots traced back to the regions of Lapland, which spans across the northernmost parts of Norway, Sweden, Finland, and the Kola Peninsula of Russia. It dates back to the medieval period, around the 13th century.
The name is derived from the Old Norse word "lappr," which referred to the semi-nomadic Sami people who inhabited the Lapland region. This term was initially used by the Scandinavian settlers to describe the indigenous inhabitants of the area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Lapp can be found in the Diplomatarium Norvegicum, a collection of Norwegian medieval diplomas and documents, where it appears as "Lappi" in the 14th century.
In the 16th century, the Swedish census records from Lapland mention several individuals with the surname Lapp, indicating its widespread usage in the region during that time period.
Historically, the name Lapp was closely associated with the Sami people and their traditional way of life, which included reindeer herding, fishing, and hunting. Some notable individuals with this surname include:
1. Johan Lapp (1671-1740), a Swedish-Sami priest and author, known for his work in translating religious texts into the Sami language.
2. Nils Lapp (1805-1869), a Norwegian-Sami explorer and cartographer, who played a significant role in mapping the Arctic regions of Norway.
3. Erik Lapp (1808-1867), a Swedish-Sami artist and painter, renowned for his depictions of Sami life and landscapes.
4. Inga Lapp (1871-1944), a Norwegian-Sami activist and educator, who campaigned for the rights and education of the Sami people.
5. Gunnar Lapp (1886-1963), a Swedish-Sami writer and journalist, known for his works that shed light on the Sami culture and traditions.
The surname Lapp has also been associated with various place names in the Lapland region, such as Lappland (in Sweden), Lapponia (in Finland), and Lappi (in Norway). These names are derived from the same root as the surname and reflect the historical connection between the Sami people and the geography of the area.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lapp
Among Census respondents with the surname Lapp, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.9%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Lapp 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 Lapp surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.5% · 8,292
- Two or more races1.9% · 167
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 146
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 41
- Black or African American0.3% · 23
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 16
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lapp
Lapp 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
#4,568
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,761
+1,346 bearers (+21.0%)
Per 100,000 2.63
Rank movement Up 450 places
2020
#3,960
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,685
+924 bearers (+11.9%)
Per 100,000 2.91
Rank movement Up 608 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,018 | 6,415 | 2.38 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,568 | 7,761 | 2.63 | +1,346 bearers (+21.0%) | Up 450 places |
| 2020 | #3,960 | 8,685 | 2.91 | +924 bearers (+11.9%) | Up 608 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 Lapp 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 | #4,568 | #3,960 | 13.3% |
| Count | 7,761 | 8,685 | 11.9% |
| Per 100K | 2.63 | 2.91 | 10.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lapp bearers went from 7,761 to 8,685 (+11.9% change). The surname moved up 608 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,568 to #3,960.
FAQ
Lapp surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lapp?
Name Census estimates that about 9,959 living Americans carry the surname Lapp. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 34,417 residents.
How common is Lapp?
Lapp ranks #3,960 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.91 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,685 people with the surname Lapp. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,959), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.91 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.91 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Lapp.
Has Lapp become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lapp went from 7,761 recorded bearers to 8,685. That is an increase of 924 (+11.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #4,568 to #3,960.
What does the Census say about the background of Lapp?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lapp, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.9%) and Hispanic (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 Lapp in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.5% (8,292 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lapp appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.5%), Two or More Races (1.9%), Hispanic (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 Lapp (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 Lapp mean?
A surname of English origin, derived from the Old English word "lappa," meaning a patch of cloth or a pendant. 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 Lapp (2.91 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 Lapp?
If you just want to know how common the surname Lapp is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.