2000
#114,852
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 141
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Laren
A Dutch toponymic surname derived from the municipality of Laren.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Laren. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Laren 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 Laren with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Laren in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Laren, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Laren
The surname LAREN originates from the Netherlands and can be traced back to the medieval period, around the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Dutch word "laar," which means a wooded area or a grove, indicating that the earliest bearers of this name likely resided in or near a forested region.
During the Middle Ages, the use of surnames became increasingly widespread, and LAREN emerged as a locational surname, referring to individuals who hailed from a specific place or area. One of the earliest recorded instances of this surname can be found in the Leiden Records, a collection of historical documents from the city of Leiden, dating back to the 14th century.
The LAREN surname has a strong connection to the town of Laren, located in the province of North Holland, Netherlands. This town's name is derived from the Old Dutch word "lara," meaning a grove or a wooded area, further reinforcing the surname's link to its geographical origins.
In the 16th century, a notable figure bearing the LAREN surname was Jan van LAREN (1515-1583), a Dutch painter and engraver known for his religious and allegorical works. His artworks can be found in various museums across Europe, including the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.
Another prominent individual with the LAREN surname was Hendrick van LAREN (1573-1637), a Dutch Golden Age painter who specialized in depicting landscapes and scenes from everyday life. His works are held in collections at the Louvre in Paris and the Mauritshuis in The Hague, among others.
In the 18th century, Pieter van LAREN (1722-1790) was a Dutch composer and organist who made significant contributions to the music scene in Amsterdam. He is particularly renowned for his church music compositions and his organ concertos.
The 19th century saw the birth of Antonius Matthaeus van LAREN (1837-1915), a Dutch painter and etcher who was part of the Hague School of painters. His works often depicted scenes from rural life and landscapes, capturing the essence of the Dutch countryside.
In the 20th century, Joop van LAREN (1926-2018) was a notable Dutch footballer who played as a striker for several clubs, including Feyenoord and the Netherlands national team. He was part of the Dutch squad that participated in the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki.
While the LAREN surname has its roots in the Netherlands, it has since spread to other parts of the world due to migration and other historical events. However, its origins can be traced back to the medieval period, stemming from the Dutch word for a wooded area or grove, reflecting the geographical and locational origins of this surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Laren
Among Census respondents with the surname Laren, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Laren 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 Laren surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.1% · 99
- Hispanic or Latino5.2% · 6
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.3% · 5
- Black or African American2.6% · 3
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Laren
Laren 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
#125,282
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 137
-4 bearers (-2.8%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 10,430 places
2020
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
-22 bearers (-16.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 20,475 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #114,852 | 141 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #125,282 | 137 | 0.05 | -4 bearers (-2.8%) | Down 10,430 places |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | -22 bearers (-16.1%) | Down 20,475 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 Laren 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 | #125,282 | #145,757 | -16.3% |
| Count | 137 | 115 | -16.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -23.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Laren bearers went from 137 to 115 (-16.1% change). The surname moved down 20,475 positions in the national ranking, going from #125,282 to #145,757.
FAQ
Laren surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Laren?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Laren. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Laren?
Laren ranks #145,757 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 115 people with the surname Laren. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Laren.
Has Laren become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Laren went from 137 recorded bearers to 115. That is a decrease of 22 (-16.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #125,282 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Laren?
Among Census respondents with the surname Laren, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (4.3%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Laren in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.1% (99 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Laren appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.1%), Hispanic (5.2%), Asian/Pacific Islander (4.3%). 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 Laren (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 Laren mean?
A Dutch toponymic surname derived from the municipality of Laren. 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 Laren (0.04 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 Laren?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.