2000
#124,109
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 128
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Laston
An English surname derived from an Anglo-Norman French place name related to towns like Laston or Lasham.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Laston. That puts it at #143,511 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,538,921 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Laston 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
135
1 in 2,538,921
Census rank
#143,511
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
118
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 118 bearers of the surname Laston in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 143511th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Laston, the largest self-reported group is White at 57.6%. The next largest groups are Black (27.1%) and Hispanic (6.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Laston
The surname Laston is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period, with its roots traced back to the Old English words "læs" (meaning pasture or meadow) and "tun" (meaning enclosure or settlement). This suggests that the name initially referred to an individual who resided in or near a settlement surrounded by pastures or meadows.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Laston can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive survey commissioned by William the Conqueror to record landholdings and property ownership throughout England. This historical record mentions a landowner named Radulfus de Lastuna, indicating the presence of the name in the late 11th century.
In the 13th century, a variant spelling of the name, "Lasceton," appeared in the Assize Rolls of Gloucestershire, which documented legal proceedings and property transactions during that period. This further solidifies the name's English origins and its associations with specific geographical locations.
Among notable historical figures bearing the Laston surname, one can mention Sir John Laston, a prominent English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Gloucestershire in the late 16th century. Another noteworthy individual was William Laston (c. 1635-1705), an English mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the study of celestial mechanics.
During the 17th century, the Laston family established themselves as landowners and gentry in the county of Wiltshire, with their ancestral seat located at Laston House in the village of Laston. This connection between the surname and the place name further reinforces the name's geographical roots.
Other notable individuals with the Laston surname include Sir Ralph Laston (1616-1661), an English parliamentarian and supporter of the Royalist cause during the English Civil War, and Sir William Laston (1774-1838), a British naval officer who distinguished himself during the Napoleonic Wars.
While the surname Laston may have evolved from its original Old English roots and undergone various spelling variations over the centuries, its enduring presence in historical records and its association with specific locations in England provide a rich tapestry of its origins and development.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Laston
Among Census respondents with the surname Laston, the largest self-reported group is White at 57.6%. The next largest groups are Black (27.1%) and Hispanic (6.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Laston 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 Laston surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White57.6% · 68
- Black or African American27.1% · 32
- Hispanic or Latino6.8% · 8
- Two or more races4.2% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.5% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Laston
Laston 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
#132,206
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 128
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 8,097 places
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
-10 bearers (-7.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 11,305 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #124,109 | 128 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #132,206 | 128 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 8,097 places |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | -10 bearers (-7.8%) | Down 11,305 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 Laston 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 | #132,206 | #143,511 | -8.6% |
| Count | 128 | 118 | -7.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Laston bearers went from 128 to 118 (-7.8% change). The surname moved down 11,305 positions in the national ranking, going from #132,206 to #143,511.
FAQ
Laston surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Laston?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Laston. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Laston?
Laston ranks #143,511 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 118 people with the surname Laston. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (135), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Laston.
Has Laston become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Laston went from 128 recorded bearers to 118. That is a decrease of 10 (-7.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #132,206 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Laston?
Among Census respondents with the surname Laston, the largest self-reported group is White at 57.6%. The next largest groups are Black (27.1%) and Hispanic (6.8%). 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 Laston in the 2020 Census, accounting for 57.6% (68 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Laston appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (57.6%), Black (27.1%), Hispanic (6.8%). 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 Laston (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 Laston mean?
An English surname derived from an Anglo-Norman French place name related to towns like Laston or Lasham. 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 Laston (0.04 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 are called Laston?
See how many people have the surname Laston on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.