2000
#8,764
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,449
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.28
Rare Last name
Lasky
A Jewish occupational surname derived from the Polish word "las" meaning forest, likely referring to a woodcutter or forester.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,425 Americans carry the last name Lasky. That puts it at #10,266 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.00 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 100,074 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lasky 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
3.4K
1 in 100,074
Census rank
#10,266
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,987 bearers of the surname Lasky in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.00 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10266th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lasky, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lasky
The surname Lasky is of Polish origin, derived from the Polish word "las" meaning "forest" or "woods." Its earliest recorded instances can be traced back to the 12th century in the region of Lesser Poland, particularly in the areas surrounding the city of Krakow.
The name Lasky likely originated as a descriptive term, referring to individuals who lived near or worked in forested areas. In medieval times, surnames were often derived from occupations, physical characteristics, or geographical locations, and Lasky would have been assigned to those residing in or associated with wooded regions.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Jan Lasky, a Polish nobleman and diplomat who lived in the 15th century (c. 1456-1531). He served as a representative of the Polish Crown at various diplomatic missions throughout Europe.
Another notable figure was Samuel Laski (or Laskius), a Polish-Dutch theologian and reformer born in 1499. He played a significant role in the Reformation movement in the Netherlands and was a close associate of John Calvin.
In the 16th century, the Lasky family established itself as a prominent noble house in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Jan Lasky (c. 1499-1560), a member of this family, served as a Polish-Lithuanian military commander and diplomat, earning recognition for his service during the Livonian War.
The name Lasky also appeared in various historical records and manuscripts from the region, such as land ownership documents, tax rolls, and parish registers. Variations in spelling, including Laski, Laszky, and Laszki, were common due to the lack of standardized spelling conventions in earlier times.
Throughout the centuries, the name Lasky has been associated with various notable individuals across different fields. For example, Melchior Lasky (1528-1606) was a Polish nobleman and politician who served as a senator and voivode (provincial governor) in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lasky
Among Census respondents with the surname Lasky, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Lasky 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 Lasky surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.7% · 2,738
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 113
- Two or more races2.2% · 67
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.6% · 47
- Black or African American0.5% · 16
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lasky
Lasky 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
#9,177
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,554
+105 bearers (+3.0%)
Per 100,000 1.20
Rank movement Down 413 places
2020
#10,266
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,987
-567 bearers (-16.0%)
Per 100,000 1.00
Rank movement Down 1,089 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,764 | 3,449 | 1.28 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,177 | 3,554 | 1.20 | +105 bearers (+3.0%) | Down 413 places |
| 2020 | #10,266 | 2,987 | 1.00 | -567 bearers (-16.0%) | Down 1,089 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 Lasky 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 | #9,177 | #10,266 | -11.9% |
| Count | 3,554 | 2,987 | -16.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.20 | 1.00 | -16.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lasky bearers went from 3,554 to 2,987 (-16.0% change). The surname moved down 1,089 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,177 to #10,266.
FAQ
Lasky surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lasky?
Name Census estimates that about 3,425 living Americans carry the surname Lasky. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 100,074 residents.
How common is Lasky?
Lasky ranks #10,266 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.00 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 2,987 people with the surname Lasky. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,425), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.00 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 Lasky.
Has Lasky become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lasky went from 3,554 recorded bearers to 2,987. That is a decrease of 567 (-16.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,177 to #10,266.
What does the Census say about the background of Lasky?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lasky, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Lasky in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.7% (2,738 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lasky appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.7%), Hispanic (3.8%), Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Lasky (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 Lasky mean?
A Jewish occupational surname derived from the Polish word "las" meaning forest, likely referring to a woodcutter or forester. 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 Lasky (1.00 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 Lasky?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.