2000
#60,887
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 309
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.11
Very Rare Last name
Larter
An English occupational surname derived from the Old English word "lartere" meaning clerk or secretary.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 310 Americans carry the last name Larter. That puts it at #76,719 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.09 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,105,659 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Larter 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 Larter with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
310
1 in 1,105,659
Census rank
#76,719
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
270
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 270 bearers of the surname Larter in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.09 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 76719th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Larter, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Larter
The surname Larter is believed to have originated in England, possibly as early as the 12th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old English word "laerd," which means "learning" or "instruction." This suggests that the name may have been initially given to someone who was a teacher or scholar.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Larter can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1230, where a person named Robert Larter is mentioned. The Pipe Rolls were financial records kept by the English Exchequer during the Middle Ages.
In the 13th century, the name Larter appeared in various forms, such as Lardner, Lardenor, and Lardener, reflecting the evolution of spelling patterns over time. These variations may have been influenced by the Old French word "larder," which means "pantry" or "larder," suggesting a potential connection to someone who worked in a pantry or managed food supplies.
During the 14th century, the name Larter was recorded in several historical documents, including the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327, where a John Larter was listed as a taxpayer. The Subsidy Rolls were tax records compiled by the English government.
One notable figure with the surname Larter was John Larter, a prominent merchant and wool trader in London during the late 15th century. He was involved in the export of English wool to the Netherlands and other parts of Europe.
In the 16th century, the name Larter appeared in various parish records and legal documents across different counties in England, such as Essex, Suffolk, and Hertfordshire. This suggests that the name had spread across various regions of the country.
Another notable individual with the surname Larter was William Larter, an English clergyman who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. He served as the Rector of Sutton Mandeville in Wiltshire from 1599 until his death in 1631.
During the 17th century, the name Larter was found in various birth, marriage, and death records in England, indicating its continued presence throughout the country.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Larter in North America can be traced back to the 17th century, when John Larter, born in England in 1643, immigrated to Massachusetts Bay Colony in the 1670s.
In the 18th century, the surname Larter appeared in various colonial records in British North America, particularly in New England and the Mid-Atlantic regions, suggesting that some individuals with this surname had made the journey across the Atlantic.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Larter
Among Census respondents with the surname Larter, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Larter 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 Larter surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.6% · 242
- Hispanic or Latino4.1% · 11
- Two or more races3.0% · 8
- Black or African American2.2% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Larter
Larter 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
#80,926
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 234
-75 bearers (-24.3%)
Per 100,000 0.08
Rank movement Down 20,039 places
2020
#76,719
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 270
+36 bearers (+15.4%)
Per 100,000 0.09
Rank movement Up 4,207 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #60,887 | 309 | 0.11 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #80,926 | 234 | 0.08 | -75 bearers (-24.3%) | Down 20,039 places |
| 2020 | #76,719 | 270 | 0.09 | +36 bearers (+15.4%) | Up 4,207 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 Larter 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 | #80,926 | #76,719 | 5.2% |
| Count | 234 | 270 | 15.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.08 | 0.09 | 12.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Larter bearers went from 234 to 270 (+15.4% change). The surname moved up 4,207 positions in the national ranking, going from #80,926 to #76,719.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Larter
FAQ
Larter surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Larter?
Name Census estimates that about 310 living Americans carry the surname Larter. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,105,659 residents.
How common is Larter?
Larter ranks #76,719 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.09 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 270 people with the surname Larter. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (310), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.09 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.09 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 Larter.
Has Larter become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Larter went from 234 recorded bearers to 270. That is an increase of 36 (+15.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #80,926 to #76,719.
What does the Census say about the background of Larter?
Among Census respondents with the surname Larter, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Larter in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.6% (242 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Larter appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.6%), Hispanic (4.1%), Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Larter (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 Larter mean?
An English occupational surname derived from the Old English word "lartere" meaning clerk or secretary. 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 Larter (0.09 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 Americans have the surname Larter?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.