Find out how popular the last name Lapsley is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Lapsley.

Lapsley, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Lapsley surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Lapsley in America

Lapsley is the 25849th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Lapsley surname appeared 952 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Lapsley.

We can also compare 2010 data for Lapsley to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Lapsley

The surname Lapsley originates from the Scottish Lowlands and is believed to have derived from the Old English words "hloep" meaning "loop" and "leah" meaning "meadow". This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near a looped or curved meadow.

The earliest known record of the name dates back to the 12th century, appearing in the Register of the Abbey of Kelso from around 1180 as "William de Laupesley". This spelling variation indicates the name's evolution over time.

In the 13th century, the name appeared in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a collection of homage rolls submitted to King Edward I of England by Scottish nobles and landowners. The entry "William de Lappesley" from Roxburghshire suggests the name's geographical spread in the Scottish Borders region.

The Lapsley name can also be traced to the village of Lapsley in Lanarkshire, Scotland, which may have served as a source for the surname. This connection to a specific place name was common during the era of surname formation.

One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Sir William Lapsley, a Scottish knight who fought alongside Robert the Bruce during the Wars of Scottish Independence in the early 14th century.

Another notable figure was John Lapsley (c. 1550-1623), a Scottish minister and theologian who served as the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in 1619.

In the 17th century, the name gained prominence with Robert Lapsley (1620-1684), a Scottish merchant and philanthropist who made significant contributions to the city of Glasgow.

The 18th century saw the birth of Samuel Lapsley (1766-1825), a Scottish-American Presbyterian minister who played a crucial role in the establishment of the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church in the United States.

In the 19th century, James Lapsley (1805-1879), a Scottish-American educator and pioneer in the field of deaf education, founded the Alabama School for the Deaf in Talladega, Alabama.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Lapsley

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Lapsley.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Lapsley was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Lapsley has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Lapsley was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Lapsley, please contact us.

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