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

Large, 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 Large surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Large in America

Large is the 5105th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Large surname appeared 6,859 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Large.

We can also compare 2010 data for Large 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 Large

The surname Large is of English origin, derived from the Old French word "large," meaning "broad" or "wide." The name likely originated in the Middle Ages as a descriptive nickname for someone of large stature or broad build.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname Large can be found in various medieval records and documents. One notable example is the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire in 1176, which mention a Robert Large. Another early reference is the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327, which include a John le Large.

During the 13th and 14th centuries, the surname Large was also found in various forms, such as Larg, Largg, and Lerge, reflecting the variations in spelling and pronunciation at the time. Some of these variations may have been influenced by regional dialects or scribal errors in record-keeping.

The surname Large is also associated with several place names in England, such as Large's Court in Kent and Large's Farm in Suffolk. These place names likely derived from individuals bearing the surname Large who owned or resided in those locations.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Large was John Large, who was born in Somerset, England, around 1490. He served as a member of parliament and held various positions in the local government.

Another notable figure was Sir Walter Large, born in Wiltshire in 1565. He was a prominent military commander and served as the Governor of Portsmouth during the English Civil War.

In the 18th century, Edward Large (1702-1786) was a renowned architect from Yorkshire, known for his work on several churches and country houses in the region.

During the 19th century, William Large (1837-1909) was a successful businessman and philanthropist from Lancashire. He made significant contributions to the development of his local community and funded the construction of several public buildings.

Finally, one of the most famous individuals with the surname Large was the English novelist and poet Thomas Large (1876-1944), whose works explored themes of love, loss, and the human condition.

These are just a few examples of the many individuals throughout history who have borne the surname Large, which has its roots in the descriptive nicknames of medieval England and has since spread across the English-speaking world.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Large

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

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 Large 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 Large 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 Large was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!