2000
#11,858
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,419
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.90
Rare Last name
Larimore
Derived from a place name meaning "lake of the larks" or "lake of the mares" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,471 Americans carry the last name Larimore. That puts it at #13,493 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.72 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 138,711 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Larimore 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
2.5K
1 in 138,711
Census rank
#13,493
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,155 bearers of the surname Larimore in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.72 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13493rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Larimore, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Larimore
The surname Larimore is of English origin, with its roots traced back to the late 16th century. It is believed to have originated from the place name "Larmor" in the county of Lancashire, England. This place name is derived from the Old English words "ler" meaning a place of learning or instruction and "mor" meaning a marsh or moor.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Larimore can be found in parish records and tax rolls from the late 1500s and early 1600s in the Lancashire area. The name was likely first adopted as a surname by families residing in or near the settlement of Larmor.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Larimore was John Larimore, born around 1610 in Lancashire. Records show he was a landowner and farmer in the village of Larmor.
In the 17th century, the Larimore surname began to spread beyond Lancashire as families migrated to other parts of England and eventually to the American colonies. One notable early American with this surname was William Larimore, born in 1652 in Gloucestershire, England. He immigrated to Virginia in the late 1600s and became a prosperous landowner and prominent figure in the colony.
Another significant figure in the history of the Larimore name was Elizabeth Larimore, born in 1742 in Pennsylvania. She was a prominent Quaker and played an active role in the abolitionist movement, advocating for the end of slavery in the United States.
In the 19th century, the Larimore surname gained prominence in the American Midwest. One notable individual was Joseph Larimore, born in 1810 in Ohio. He was a successful businessman and landowner, and the town of Larimore, North Dakota, was named after him when it was founded in 1881.
Other notable individuals with the Larimore surname include Charles Larimore, a prominent educator and university president born in 1835 in Indiana, and Mary Larimore, born in 1876 in Illinois, who was a pioneering female physician and advocate for women's health.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Larimore
Among Census respondents with the surname Larimore, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Larimore 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 Larimore surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.3% · 1,968
- Two or more races3.8% · 82
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 58
- Black or African American1.2% · 25
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 17
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Larimore
Larimore 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
#12,745
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,421
+2 bearers (+0.1%)
Per 100,000 0.82
Rank movement Down 887 places
2020
#13,493
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,155
-266 bearers (-11.0%)
Per 100,000 0.72
Rank movement Down 748 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,858 | 2,419 | 0.90 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,745 | 2,421 | 0.82 | +2 bearers (+0.1%) | Down 887 places |
| 2020 | #13,493 | 2,155 | 0.72 | -266 bearers (-11.0%) | Down 748 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 Larimore 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 | #12,745 | #13,493 | -5.9% |
| Count | 2,421 | 2,155 | -11.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.82 | 0.72 | -12.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Larimore bearers went from 2,421 to 2,155 (-11.0% change). The surname moved down 748 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,745 to #13,493.
FAQ
Larimore surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Larimore?
Name Census estimates that about 2,471 living Americans carry the surname Larimore. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 138,711 residents.
How common is Larimore?
Larimore ranks #13,493 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.72 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,155 people with the surname Larimore. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,471), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.72 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.72 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Larimore.
Has Larimore become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Larimore went from 2,421 recorded bearers to 2,155. That is a decrease of 266 (-11.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,745 to #13,493.
What does the Census say about the background of Larimore?
Among Census respondents with the surname Larimore, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Larimore in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.3% (1,968 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Larimore appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.3%), Two or More Races (3.8%), Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Larimore (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 Larimore mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "lake of the larks" or "lake of the mares" in Old English. 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 Larimore (0.72 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 Larimore?
See how many people have the surname Larimore on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.