2000
#115,489
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 140
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Laskar
A surname referring to a soldier or member of an armed force.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 298 Americans carry the last name Laskar. That puts it at #79,118 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.09 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,150,182 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Laskar 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 Laskar with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
298
1 in 1,150,182
Census rank
#79,118
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
260
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 260 bearers of the surname Laskar in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.09 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 79118th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Laskar, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 78.1%. The next largest groups are White (17.3%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Laskar
The surname Laskar has its origins in the Indian subcontinent, with roots dating back to the medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Persian word "lashkar," which means "army" or "military force." This suggests that the name may have been used to refer to individuals associated with military campaigns or armies.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Ain-i-Akbari, a 16th-century administrative document from the Mughal Empire. The text mentions a nobleman named Laskar Khan, who held a prominent position during the reign of Akbar the Great (1542-1605).
In Bengal, the Laskar family played a significant role in the region's history. Siraj-ud-Daulah (1733-1757), the last independent Nawab of Bengal, had a military commander named Mir Jafar Ali Khan Laskar. Mir Jafar later became a pivotal figure in the Battle of Plassey in 1757, which marked the beginning of British rule in Bengal.
Another notable individual with the surname Laskar was Fida Husain Khan Laskar (1756-1800), a prominent administrator and military leader from the Mughal era. He served as the Nawab of Bengal and is known for his efforts in reforming the administrative system and promoting education.
In the 19th century, the name appears in historical records related to the Indian Rebellion of 1857, also known as the Sepoy Mutiny. Bakht Khan Laskar (1797-1859) was a prominent rebel leader who fought against the British East India Company forces during the uprising.
Moving into the 20th century, Mujibar Rahman Laskar (1920-1975) was a renowned Bengali writer and educator who made significant contributions to the literature and culture of Bangladesh. His works explored themes of social justice and national identity.
Other notable individuals with the surname Laskar include Jahangir Laskar (1897-1987), a prominent lawyer and politician from Assam, India, and Jayanta Laskar (born 1976), an Indian astrophysicist known for his work on black holes and gravitational waves.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Laskar
Among Census respondents with the surname Laskar, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 78.1%. The next largest groups are White (17.3%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Laskar 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 Laskar surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander78.1% · 203
- White17.3% · 45
- Two or more races2.7% · 7
- Black or African American1.2% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino0.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Laskar
Laskar 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
#99,378
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 182
+42 bearers (+30.0%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Up 16,111 places
2020
#79,118
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 260
+78 bearers (+42.9%)
Per 100,000 0.09
Rank movement Up 20,260 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #115,489 | 140 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #99,378 | 182 | 0.06 | +42 bearers (+30.0%) | Up 16,111 places |
| 2020 | #79,118 | 260 | 0.09 | +78 bearers (+42.9%) | Up 20,260 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 Laskar 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 | #99,378 | #79,118 | 20.4% |
| Count | 182 | 260 | 42.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.06 | 0.09 | 45.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Laskar bearers went from 182 to 260 (+42.9% change). The surname moved up 20,260 positions in the national ranking, going from #99,378 to #79,118.
FAQ
Laskar surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Laskar?
Name Census estimates that about 298 living Americans carry the surname Laskar. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,150,182 residents.
How common is Laskar?
Laskar ranks #79,118 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 260 people with the surname Laskar. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (298), 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 Laskar.
Has Laskar become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Laskar went from 182 recorded bearers to 260. That is an increase of 78 (+42.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #99,378 to #79,118.
What does the Census say about the background of Laskar?
Among Census respondents with the surname Laskar, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 78.1%. The next largest groups are White (17.3%) and Two or More Races (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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Laskar in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.1% (203 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Laskar appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (78.1%), White (17.3%), Two or More Races (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 Laskar (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 Laskar mean?
A surname referring to a soldier or member of an armed force. 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 Laskar (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 Laskar?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.