2000
#7,045
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,384
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.63
Rare Last name
Lasher
An English occupational surname referring to one who whips or flogs, or a hunter who drives game.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,660 Americans carry the last name Lasher. That puts it at #7,825 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.36 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 73,552 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lasher 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
4.7K
1 in 73,552
Census rank
#7,825
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,064 bearers of the surname Lasher in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.36 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7825th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lasher, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lasher
The surname Lasher has its origins in England, tracing back to the medieval period. It is an occupational name derived from the Old English word "leasher," which referred to a person who made or repaired leashes or thongs for tying animals.
In its earliest recorded forms, the name appeared as "le Lasshere" and "le Lashur" in various tax rolls and parish records from the 13th and 14th centuries. These early spellings reflect the regional variations and dialectal influences that shaped the name over time.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was John Lassher, who was mentioned in the Assize Rolls of Staffordshire in 1272. Another early record is that of William le Lashur, found in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327.
The Lasher surname is also associated with several place names in England, such as Lasher's Green in Kent and Lasher's Hill in Wiltshire. These place names likely derived from individuals with the Lasher surname who resided in or owned land in those areas.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the Lasher surname. One such person was Robert Lasher (1578-1642), an English merchant and member of the Worshipful Company of Haberdashers in London. Another was John Lasher (1670-1734), a renowned clockmaker from Whitechapel, London, whose clocks were highly prized for their craftsmanship.
In the 18th century, Edward Lasher (1725-1799) was a prominent figure in New York, serving as a judge and member of the New York Provincial Congress during the American Revolutionary War. His son, John Lasher (1753-1827), was a soldier who fought in the Revolutionary War and later became a respected community leader in Dutchess County, New York.
Another notable bearer of the Lasher name was William Lasher (1804-1879), an American inventor and businessman from New York. He is credited with developing an early typewriter design and held several patents related to printing and typesetting machinery.
These are just a few examples of the individuals who have carried the Lasher surname throughout history, each contributing to the rich tapestry of this name's legacy across various fields and endeavors.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lasher
Among Census respondents with the surname Lasher, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Lasher 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 Lasher surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.6% · 3,722
- Two or more races3.6% · 145
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 109
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 75
- Black or African American0.3% · 11
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lasher
Lasher 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
#7,571
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,389
+5 bearers (+0.1%)
Per 100,000 1.49
Rank movement Down 526 places
2020
#7,825
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,064
-325 bearers (-7.4%)
Per 100,000 1.36
Rank movement Down 254 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,045 | 4,384 | 1.63 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,571 | 4,389 | 1.49 | +5 bearers (+0.1%) | Down 526 places |
| 2020 | #7,825 | 4,064 | 1.36 | -325 bearers (-7.4%) | Down 254 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 Lasher 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 | #7,571 | #7,825 | -3.4% |
| Count | 4,389 | 4,064 | -7.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.49 | 1.36 | -8.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lasher bearers went from 4,389 to 4,064 (-7.4% change). The surname moved down 254 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,571 to #7,825.
FAQ
Lasher surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lasher?
Name Census estimates that about 4,660 living Americans carry the surname Lasher. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 73,552 residents.
How common is Lasher?
Lasher ranks #7,825 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.36 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 4,064 people with the surname Lasher. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,660), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.36 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.36 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 Lasher.
Has Lasher become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lasher went from 4,389 recorded bearers to 4,064. That is a decrease of 325 (-7.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,571 to #7,825.
What does the Census say about the background of Lasher?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lasher, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.6%) 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 Lasher in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.6% (3,722 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lasher appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.6%), Two or More Races (3.6%), 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 Lasher (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 Lasher mean?
An English occupational surname referring to one who whips or flogs, or a hunter who drives game. 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 Lasher (1.36 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 last name Lasher?
For a quick modern take, check how many people are called Lasher on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.