Lassiter last name popularity, history, and meaning

Find out how popular the last name Lassiter is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Lassiter.

Meaning of Lassiter

Derived from an English place name meaning "leather-worker's place," referring to an occupational leather-making area.

Lassiter, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Lassiter surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Lassiter in America

Lassiter is the 2760th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Lassiter surname appeared 13,066 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 4 people would have the surname Lassiter.

We can also compare 2010 data for Lassiter to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 2760 2619 5.24%
Count 13,066 12,699 2.85%
Proportion per 100k 4.43 4.71 -6.13%

The history of the last name Lassiter

The surname Lassiter is of English origin, derived from the Old English words "læs" meaning pasture or meadow, and "tun" meaning enclosure or settlement. This suggests the name originally referred to someone who lived near or worked on a pasture or meadowland.

The earliest known record of the name dates back to the 13th century, with a William de Lasseter listed in the Feet of Fines for Norfolk in 1275. Other early spellings include Lassiter, Lassyter, and Lassetor.

In the 14th century, the name appeared in various records such as the Subsidy Rolls for Somerset in 1327, where a John Lassiter was mentioned. The Hundred Rolls of 1273 also included a reference to a place called Lassiter's Field in Leicestershire.

One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Sir John Lassiter, a wealthy landowner and knight who lived in the late 15th century in Gloucestershire. He was known for his involvement in the Wars of the Roses, fighting alongside the Yorkist forces.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the name became more widespread across England, with various branches of the Lassiter family establishing themselves in different counties. Notable individuals from this period include Thomas Lassiter (1563-1638), a successful merchant and alderman in London, and Robert Lassiter (1621-1688), a Puritan minister who emigrated to colonial America and settled in Massachusetts.

In the 18th century, the Lassiter name was associated with the village of Lassiter Green in Staffordshire, which may have been named after a local family or landowner. A prominent individual from this time was Captain William Lassiter (1732-1801), a naval officer who served in the Royal Navy during the American Revolutionary War.

Over the centuries, several variations of the name have emerged, such as Lasseter, Lassetter, and Lassiter. The name has also been found in other English-speaking countries, particularly in the United States, where it was brought by early English settlers and immigrants.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Lassiter

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Lassiter.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

  1. White only
  2. Black only
  3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
  4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
  5. Hispanic
  6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Lassiter was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 57.51% 7,514
Non-Hispanic Black Only 37.43% 4,891
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 0.36% 47
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.44% 57
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 2.31% 302
Hispanic Origin 1.96% 256

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Lassiter has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 57.51% 59.93% -4.12%
Black 37.43% 36.82% 1.64%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.36% 0.21% 52.63%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.44% 0.39% 12.05%
Two or More Races 2.31% 1.57% 38.14%
Hispanic 1.96% 1.08% 57.89%

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Lassiter was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Lassiter, please contact us.

Reference this page

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If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

"Lassiter last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on July 27, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/lassiter-surname-popularity/.

"Lassiter last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/lassiter-surname-popularity/. Accessed 27 July, 2024

Lassiter last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/lassiter-surname-popularity/.

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