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

Last, 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 Last surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Last in America

Last is the 15922nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Last surname appeared 1,825 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Last.

We can also compare 2010 data for Last 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.

The history of the last name Last

The surname LAST originated in England, with records dating back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Old English word "lest," meaning "smallest" or "least." The name likely emerged as a nickname for someone of small stature or the youngest child in a family.

LAST was initially concentrated in the counties of Yorkshire, Lancashire, and Cheshire, where it was commonly spelled as "Laste" or "Leste" in medieval records. One of the earliest documented instances of the name appears in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where a Robert Laste is listed as a resident of Yorkshire.

During the 14th century, the surname gained prominence in the nearby county of Lincolnshire, where it was sometimes rendered as "Laste" or "Laatste." The Lay Subsidy Rolls of 1334 record a John Laste living in the town of Grimsby, Lincolnshire.

In the 15th century, the LAST surname began to spread to other parts of England, including London and the Home Counties. The Subsidy Rolls of 1524 mention a Thomas Last residing in the parish of St. Botolph without Aldgate, London.

Notable individuals bearing the LAST surname throughout history include:

1. Sir John Last (c. 1504-1565), a wealthy merchant and member of the Worshipful Company of Mercers in London.

2. William Last (c. 1570-1645), an English composer and lutenist who served as a musician in the court of King James I.

3. Samuel Last (1651-1718), an English Puritan minister and author, best known for his work "The Profane State of the Universe."

4. Thomas Last (1688-1756), a renowned English clockmaker and inventor, credited with developing the first marine chronometer.

5. Sir Ralph Last (1746-1820), a British naval officer who served with distinction during the American Revolutionary War and the Napoleonic Wars.

The LAST surname has also been associated with various place names in England, such as Lastingham in North Yorkshire and Lastholme in Lancashire. These locations may have influenced the development and propagation of the surname in their respective regions.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Last

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

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 Last was:

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 Last has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

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 Last was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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