2000
#501
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 59,731
First available Census row
Per 100,000 22.14
Uncommon Last name
Lara
A surname of Spanish origin meaning "citadel," derived from the ancient city of Lara in Burgos, Spain.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 95,304 Americans carry the last name Lara. That puts it at #374 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 27.81 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,596 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lara 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 Lara with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
95K
1 in 3,596
Census rank
#374
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
27.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
83K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 83,110 bearers of the surname Lara in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 27.81 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 374th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lara, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.2%. The next largest groups are White (5.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lara
The surname Lara is of Spanish origin, dating back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have derived from the Latin word "larus," which means "seagull." This suggests that the name was initially given to someone who lived near the sea or worked as a fisherman.
In the 13th century, the name Lara appeared in the chronicles of the Kingdom of Castile, where it was associated with the noble family of the House of Lara. This family played a significant role in the political and military affairs of the region, and their name became closely linked with the town of Lara de los Infantes, located in the province of Burgos.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the surname Lara can be found in the Becerro de las Behetrías, a medieval census of landowners in Castile, compiled in the 14th century. This document lists several individuals bearing the name Lara, indicating its widespread use during that period.
In the 16th century, the name Lara gained further prominence with the birth of Garcilaso de la Vega (1501-1536), a renowned Spanish poet and soldier who served in the court of Charles V. His works significantly influenced the development of Spanish Renaissance literature.
Another notable figure was Nuño Beltrán de Guzmán (1490-1544), a Spanish conquistador who led the conquest of the Kingdom of Nueva Galicia in present-day Mexico. He was also known as Nuño de Guzmán or Nuño Beltrán de Lara, highlighting the connection between the Lara and Guzmán families.
During the 17th century, the name Lara appeared in various literary works, including the play "Fuenteovejuna" by Lope de Vega (1562-1635), which features a character named Frondoso de Lara.
In the 19th century, José María Heredia y Heredia (1803-1839), a Cuban poet and writer, is considered one of the most prominent figures with the surname Lara. He was a key figure in the Romantic literary movement in Spanish America.
Another notable individual was Juan Rafael Mora Porras (1814-1860), a Costa Rican politician and military leader who served as the President of Costa Rica from 1849 to 1859. He played a crucial role in defending Costa Rica's sovereignty during the Campaña Nacional against the filibuster William Walker.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lara
Among Census respondents with the surname Lara, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.2%. The next largest groups are White (5.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Lara 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 Lara surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino92.2% · 76,587
- White5.5% · 4,545
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 1,053
- Black or African American0.4% · 366
- Two or more races0.3% · 286
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 273
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lara
Lara 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
#381
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 83,067
+23,336 bearers (+39.1%)
Per 100,000 28.16
Rank movement Up 120 places
2020
#374
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 83,110
+43 bearers (+0.1%)
Per 100,000 27.81
Rank movement Up 7 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #501 | 59,731 | 22.14 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #381 | 83,067 | 28.16 | +23,336 bearers (+39.1%) | Up 120 places |
| 2020 | #374 | 83,110 | 27.81 | +43 bearers (+0.1%) | Up 7 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 Lara 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 | #381 | #374 | 1.8% |
| Count | 83,067 | 83,110 | 0.1% |
| Per 100K | 28.16 | 27.81 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lara bearers went from 83,067 to 83,110 (+0.1% change). The surname moved up 7 positions in the national ranking, going from #381 to #374.
FAQ
Lara surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lara?
Name Census estimates that about 95,304 living Americans carry the surname Lara. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,596 residents.
How common is Lara?
Lara ranks #374 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 27.81 per 100,000 residents, which is about 28 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 83,110 people with the surname Lara. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (95,304), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 27.81 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 27.81 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 28 of them to have the surname Lara.
Has Lara become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lara went from 83,067 recorded bearers to 83,110. That is an increase of 43 (+0.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #381 to #374.
What does the Census say about the background of Lara?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lara, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.2%. The next largest groups are White (5.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.3%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Lara in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.2% (76,587 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lara appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (92.2%), White (5.5%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.3%). 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 Lara (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 Lara mean?
A surname of Spanish origin meaning "citadel," derived from the ancient city of Lara in Burgos, Spain. 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 Lara (27.81 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 surname Lara?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.