2000
#3,824
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,525
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.16
Rare Last name
Laster
An occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of footwear, derived from the Old English term "laest".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,808 Americans carry the last name Laster. That puts it at #4,025 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.86 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 34,946 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Laster 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 Laster with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
9.8K
1 in 34,946
Census rank
#4,025
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,553 bearers of the surname Laster in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.86 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4025th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Laster, the largest self-reported group is White at 45.4%. The next largest groups are Black (44.7%) and Two or More Races (5.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Laster
The surname Laster is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "læstan," meaning "to follow" or "to last." It is believed to have emerged as an occupational surname in the Middle Ages, referring to a servant or attendant who followed or assisted a person of higher rank.
The earliest known record of the name Laster can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire, dated 1195, where it appears as "Walter le Laster." This suggests that the name was already established in England by the late 12th century.
During the 13th and 14th centuries, the name was commonly found in various forms, such as Lestere, Lestare, and Lestour, reflecting the varying spellings and pronunciations of the era. In the Hundred Rolls of 1273, the name appears as "John le Lester," indicating its continued use as a occupational descriptor.
One notable bearer of the name was William Laster, a wealthy merchant and landowner who lived in Gloucestershire in the late 15th century. He is mentioned in several legal documents and property records from the period, including the Gloucestershire Feet of Fines from 1486.
In the 16th century, the surname Laster began to spread across England, with records showing individuals bearing the name in counties such as Wiltshire, Somerset, and Norfolk. One prominent figure was Thomas Laster (c. 1520-1583), a Protestant clergyman who served as the rector of St. Mary's Church in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk.
The 17th century saw the emergence of several notable Lasters, including John Laster (1616-1689), a successful merchant and landowner in Dorset, and William Laster (1633-1701), a respected lawyer and judge who served as the Recorder of Gloucester.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, the surname Laster continued to be found across England, with notable individuals such as Samuel Laster (1751-1824), a renowned clockmaker from Worcestershire, and Emily Laster (1827-1908), a pioneering educator and advocate for women's rights in London.
Throughout its history, the surname Laster has been associated with various occupations and professions, reflecting the diverse paths taken by those who bore the name. While its origins lie in the role of a servant or attendant, the name has since been carried by merchants, clergymen, lawyers, craftsmen, and advocates for social change.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Laster
Among Census respondents with the surname Laster, the largest self-reported group is White at 45.4%. The next largest groups are Black (44.7%) and Two or More Races (5.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Laster 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 Laster surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White45.4% · 3,882
- Black or African American44.7% · 3,827
- Two or more races5.7% · 484
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 291
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 42
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 27
Timeline
Historical Census data for Laster
Laster 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
#3,847
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,202
+677 bearers (+7.9%)
Per 100,000 3.12
Rank movement Down 23 places
2020
#4,025
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,553
-649 bearers (-7.1%)
Per 100,000 2.86
Rank movement Down 178 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,824 | 8,525 | 3.16 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,847 | 9,202 | 3.12 | +677 bearers (+7.9%) | Down 23 places |
| 2020 | #4,025 | 8,553 | 2.86 | -649 bearers (-7.1%) | Down 178 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 Laster 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 | #3,847 | #4,025 | -4.6% |
| Count | 9,202 | 8,553 | -7.1% |
| Per 100K | 3.12 | 2.86 | -8.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Laster bearers went from 9,202 to 8,553 (-7.1% change). The surname moved down 178 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,847 to #4,025.
FAQ
Laster surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Laster?
Name Census estimates that about 9,808 living Americans carry the surname Laster. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 34,946 residents.
How common is Laster?
Laster ranks #4,025 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.86 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 8,553 people with the surname Laster. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,808), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.86 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.86 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 Laster.
Has Laster become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Laster went from 9,202 recorded bearers to 8,553. That is a decrease of 649 (-7.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,847 to #4,025.
What does the Census say about the background of Laster?
Among Census respondents with the surname Laster, the largest self-reported group is White at 45.4%. The next largest groups are Black (44.7%) and Two or More Races (5.7%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Laster in the 2020 Census, accounting for 45.4% (3,882 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Laster appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (45.4%), Black (44.7%), Two or More Races (5.7%). 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 Laster (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 Laster mean?
An occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of footwear, derived from the Old English term "laest". 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 Laster (2.86 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 people have the last name Laster?
You can see how many people have the last name Laster on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.