2000
#7,773
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,941
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.46
Rare Last name
Larrabee
A surname of French origin, derived from a place name meaning "the abbey" or "the Arabic person."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,430 Americans carry the last name Larrabee. That puts it at #8,211 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.29 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 77,371 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Larrabee 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
4.4K
1 in 77,371
Census rank
#8,211
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,863 bearers of the surname Larrabee in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.29 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8211th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Larrabee, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Larrabee
The surname Larrabee originated in the late 16th century in England, specifically in the county of Lancashire. It is derived from the Old English word "læfer," meaning "rush" or "reed," and "bece," meaning "brook" or "stream." The name likely referred to a person who lived near a stream or brook abundant with rushes or reeds.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Larrabee can be found in the Lancashire Parish Registers from the late 1500s. The spelling variations at the time included Larabee, Larrabee, and Larrabey. These variations were common due to the inconsistencies in spelling and record-keeping during that period.
In the 17th century, the Larrabee family migrated to the American colonies, with some settling in Massachusetts and others in Connecticut. One notable early bearer of the name was John Larrabee, who was born in England around 1615 and settled in Salem, Massachusetts, in the 1630s.
Another early Larrabee family member was William Larrabee, who was born in England in the late 16th century and immigrated to America in the 1630s, settling in Lynn, Massachusetts. He became a prominent figure in the colony and served as a selectman and a representative to the General Court.
In the 18th century, the Larrabee name gained recognition through the life of Benjamin Larrabee, born in 1716 in Lynn, Massachusetts. He was a successful merchant and shipowner, and his descendants went on to establish themselves in various parts of New England and beyond.
One of the most famous individuals with the Larrabee surname was William Larrabee, born in 1832 in Connecticut. He was a prominent politician who served as the 13th Governor of Iowa from 1886 to 1890. He played a significant role in the development of the state's educational system and the growth of its agricultural industry.
Another notable figure was Charles Farrington Larrabee, born in 1836 in Vermont. He was a lawyer, entrepreneur, and politician who served as a United States Representative from Wisconsin from 1887 to 1893. He was also instrumental in the development of the city of Cheyenne, Wyoming, where he established a successful law practice and real estate business.
In the 20th century, the Larrabee surname gained further recognition through individuals like Hugh Larrabee, born in 1904 in New York. He was a successful businessman and philanthropist, known for his contributions to the arts and education in the United States.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Larrabee
Among Census respondents with the surname Larrabee, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Larrabee 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 Larrabee surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.6% · 3,540
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 128
- Two or more races3.1% · 121
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 44
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 21
- Black or African American0.2% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Larrabee
Larrabee 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
#8,231
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,028
+87 bearers (+2.2%)
Per 100,000 1.37
Rank movement Down 458 places
2020
#8,211
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,863
-165 bearers (-4.1%)
Per 100,000 1.29
Rank movement Up 20 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,773 | 3,941 | 1.46 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,231 | 4,028 | 1.37 | +87 bearers (+2.2%) | Down 458 places |
| 2020 | #8,211 | 3,863 | 1.29 | -165 bearers (-4.1%) | Up 20 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 Larrabee 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 | #8,231 | #8,211 | 0.2% |
| Count | 4,028 | 3,863 | -4.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.37 | 1.29 | -5.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Larrabee bearers went from 4,028 to 3,863 (-4.1% change). The surname moved up 20 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,231 to #8,211.
FAQ
Larrabee surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Larrabee?
Name Census estimates that about 4,430 living Americans carry the surname Larrabee. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 77,371 residents.
How common is Larrabee?
Larrabee ranks #8,211 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.29 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 3,863 people with the surname Larrabee. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,430), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.29 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.29 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 Larrabee.
Has Larrabee become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Larrabee went from 4,028 recorded bearers to 3,863. That is a decrease of 165 (-4.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #8,231 to #8,211.
What does the Census say about the background of Larrabee?
Among Census respondents with the surname Larrabee, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Larrabee in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.6% (3,540 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Larrabee appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.6%), Hispanic (3.3%), Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Larrabee (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 Larrabee mean?
A surname of French origin, derived from a place name meaning "the abbey" or "the Arabic person." 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 Larrabee (1.29 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 Larrabee?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.