2000
#4,734
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,856
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.54
Rare Last name
Lash
An occupational surname referring to a maker of rope or a person who administers corporal punishment.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,365 Americans carry the last name Lash. That puts it at #5,243 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.15 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 46,538 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lash 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 Lash with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.4K
1 in 46,538
Census rank
#5,243
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,423 bearers of the surname Lash in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.15 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5243rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lash, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.6%. The next largest groups are Black (9.7%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lash
The surname Lash is of English origin, and it first emerged during the late medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century. The name is believed to be derived from the Old English word "læsce," which means a thin, flexible strip of material, such as a whip or a cord. It was likely an occupational surname initially, given to individuals who worked with leather or made whips and other similar products.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Lash surname can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327, where a Richard le Lascher is mentioned. This spelling variation, "le Lascher," suggests the occupational nature of the name during that time period. Other early spellings include Lashir, Lasher, and Lassher, reflecting the regional variations in pronunciation and spelling.
In the 16th century, the Lash surname appears in several historical records, such as the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1558, which mentions a John Lasshe. The Subsidy Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1572 also include a reference to a Thomas Lasshe. These records indicate that the surname had become more standardized by this time.
One notable figure bearing the Lash surname was Robert Lash, an English clergyman born in 1636 in Wiltshire. He served as the Rector of Combe Bissett in the same county and published several religious works during his lifetime. Another individual of historical significance was Thomas Lash, born in 1709 in Dorset, who became a renowned architect and surveyor, responsible for designing several notable buildings in the region.
In the 18th century, the Lash surname gained prominence with the birth of Benjamin Franklin Lash in 1781 in Pennsylvania, United States. He was a prominent lawyer and politician who served as a member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives and the United States House of Representatives. Another notable bearer of the name was John Lash, born in 1809 in Scotland, who became a successful businessman and philanthropist in Canada, contributing significantly to the development of the city of Toronto.
Throughout its history, the Lash surname has been associated with various place names, such as Lashbrook in Gloucestershire, Lashington in Oxfordshire, and Lashley in Devonshire. These place names may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname in different regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lash
Among Census respondents with the surname Lash, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.6%. The next largest groups are Black (9.7%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Lash 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 Lash surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.6% · 5,304
- Black or African American9.7% · 620
- Two or more races3.4% · 217
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 211
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 52
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 19
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lash
Lash 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
#5,206
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,712
-144 bearers (-2.1%)
Per 100,000 2.28
Rank movement Down 472 places
2020
#5,243
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,423
-289 bearers (-4.3%)
Per 100,000 2.15
Rank movement Down 37 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,734 | 6,856 | 2.54 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,206 | 6,712 | 2.28 | -144 bearers (-2.1%) | Down 472 places |
| 2020 | #5,243 | 6,423 | 2.15 | -289 bearers (-4.3%) | Down 37 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 Lash 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 | #5,206 | #5,243 | -0.7% |
| Count | 6,712 | 6,423 | -4.3% |
| Per 100K | 2.28 | 2.15 | -5.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lash bearers went from 6,712 to 6,423 (-4.3% change). The surname moved down 37 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,206 to #5,243.
FAQ
Lash surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lash?
Name Census estimates that about 7,365 living Americans carry the surname Lash. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 46,538 residents.
How common is Lash?
Lash ranks #5,243 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.15 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,423 people with the surname Lash. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,365), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.15 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.15 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Lash.
Has Lash become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lash went from 6,712 recorded bearers to 6,423. That is a decrease of 289 (-4.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,206 to #5,243.
What does the Census say about the background of Lash?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lash, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.6%. The next largest groups are Black (9.7%) and Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Lash in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.6% (5,304 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lash appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.6%), Black (9.7%), Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Lash (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 Lash mean?
An occupational surname referring to a maker of rope or a person who administers corporal punishment. 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 Lash (2.15 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 Lash?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.