2000
#99,725
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 168
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.06
Very Rare Last name
Lathey
A locational surname originating from a place name in England.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Lathey. That puts it at #142,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,520,252 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lathey 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 Lathey with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
136
1 in 2,520,252
Census rank
#142,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
119
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 119 bearers of the surname Lathey in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lathey, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.7%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lathey
The surname Lathey is believed to have originated in England, specifically in the northern regions of Yorkshire and Lancashire. It is derived from the Old English word "lathe," which means a barn or a storehouse for agricultural produce. This suggests that the name may have initially been an occupational surname, referring to someone who worked in or managed a lathe.
The earliest known record of the name Lathey can be traced back to the 13th century in Yorkshire. It appeared in various forms, such as "de Lathey," "atte Lathe," and "del Lathy," reflecting the regional dialects and spelling variations of the time. These early forms indicate that the name was initially a locational surname, referring to someone who lived near or worked at a lathe.
In the Domesday Book of 1086, one of the earliest records of landowners and tenants in England, there are no direct references to the surname Lathey. However, the book does mention several places with similar names, such as "Lade" and "Lath," which could be related to the origin of the surname.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Lathey was John de Lathey, who lived in Yorkshire in the 13th century. Another notable figure was Sir William Lathey, a knight who fought in the Wars of the Roses during the 15th century.
In the 16th century, the Lathey family established themselves as prominent landowners in Lancashire. Thomas Lathey (1510-1575) was a wealthy merchant and landowner in the town of Poulton-le-Fylde. His descendant, Sir Thomas Lathey (1570-1642), was a member of parliament and a staunch Royalist during the English Civil War.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, several members of the Lathey family were clergymen and scholars. Reverend John Lathey (1647-1712) was a renowned theologian and author, while his son, Reverend William Lathey (1679-1743), was a prominent clergyman in Yorkshire.
In the 19th century, the name Lathey gained recognition in the literary world. William Lathey (1805-1881) was a celebrated poet and author from Lancashire, known for his works depicting life in the rural north of England.
Throughout its history, the surname Lathey has been associated with various places, including the village of Lathey near Driffield in Yorkshire, as well as the hamlet of Lathey in Lancashire. The name has also been spelled in various ways, such as Lathey, Laithey, and Laithe, reflecting the regional dialects and phonetic variations over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lathey
Among Census respondents with the surname Lathey, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.7%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Lathey 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 Lathey surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.8% · 108
- Hispanic or Latino6.7% · 8
- Two or more races2.5% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lathey
Lathey 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
#116,829
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 149
-19 bearers (-11.3%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 17,104 places
2020
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
-30 bearers (-20.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 25,959 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #99,725 | 168 | 0.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #116,829 | 149 | 0.05 | -19 bearers (-11.3%) | Down 17,104 places |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | -30 bearers (-20.1%) | Down 25,959 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 Lathey 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 | #116,829 | #142,788 | -22.2% |
| Count | 149 | 119 | -20.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -20.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lathey bearers went from 149 to 119 (-20.1% change). The surname moved down 25,959 positions in the national ranking, going from #116,829 to #142,788.
FAQ
Lathey surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lathey?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Lathey. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Lathey?
Lathey ranks #142,788 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 119 people with the surname Lathey. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (136), 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 Lathey.
Has Lathey become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lathey went from 149 recorded bearers to 119. That is a decrease of 30 (-20.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #116,829 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Lathey?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lathey, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.7%) and Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Lathey in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.8% (108 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lathey appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.8%), Hispanic (6.7%), Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Lathey (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 Lathey mean?
A locational surname originating from a place name in England. 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 Lathey (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 common is the surname Lathey?
You can see how many people have the surname Lathey on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.