2000
#15,125
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,789
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.66
Uncommon Last name
Last
A surname indicating someone who came last or after others.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 11,482 Americans carry the last name Last. That puts it at #3,477 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.35 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 29,851 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Last 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 Last with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
11K
1 in 29,851
Census rank
#3,477
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
10K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 10,013 bearers of the surname Last in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.35 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3477th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Last, the largest self-reported group is White at 55.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (23.9%) and Black (10.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Last
Among Census respondents with the surname Last, the largest self-reported group is White at 55.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (23.9%) and Black (10.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Last 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 Last surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White55.8% · 5,592
- Hispanic or Latino23.9% · 2,395
- Black or African American10.0% · 1,001
- Asian and Pacific Islander7.4% · 743
- Two or more races2.4% · 242
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 40
Timeline
Historical Census data for Last
Last 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
#15,922
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,825
+36 bearers (+2.0%)
Per 100,000 0.62
Rank movement Down 797 places
2020
#3,477
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,013
+8,188 bearers (+448.7%)
Per 100,000 3.35
Rank movement Up 12,445 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #15,125 | 1,789 | 0.66 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,922 | 1,825 | 0.62 | +36 bearers (+2.0%) | Down 797 places |
| 2020 | #3,477 | 10,013 | 3.35 | +8,188 bearers (+448.7%) | Up 12,445 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 Last 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 | #15,922 | #3,477 | 78.2% |
| Count | 1,825 | 10,013 | 448.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.62 | 3.35 | 440.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Last bearers went from 1,825 to 10,013 (+448.7% change). The surname moved up 12,445 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,922 to #3,477.
FAQ
Last surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Last?
Name Census estimates that about 11,482 living Americans carry the surname Last. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 29,851 residents.
How common is Last?
Last ranks #3,477 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.35 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 10,013 people with the surname Last. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (11,482), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.35 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.35 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Last.
Has Last become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Last went from 1,825 recorded bearers to 10,013. That is an increase of 8,188 (+448.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #15,922 to #3,477.
What does the Census say about the background of Last?
Among Census respondents with the surname Last, the largest self-reported group is White at 55.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (23.9%) and Black (10.0%). 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 Last in the 2020 Census, accounting for 55.8% (5,592 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Last appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (55.8%), Hispanic (23.9%), Black (10.0%). 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 Last (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 Last mean?
A surname indicating someone who came last or after others. 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 Last (3.35 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 Last?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.