2000
#17,001
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,540
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.57
Rare Last name
Latshaw
From a geographical surname meaning someone from a town or place called "Latshaw".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,561 Americans carry the last name Latshaw. That puts it at #19,812 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.46 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 219,574 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Latshaw 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
1.6K
1 in 219,574
Census rank
#19,812
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,361 bearers of the surname Latshaw in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.46 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 19812th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Latshaw, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.2%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Latshaw
The surname Latshaw has its origins in the German state of Bavaria, dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the German word "Latt," which means a wooden bar or plank, and "Schau," meaning a shelter or hut. This suggests that the name may have referred to a person who lived in a wooden hut or a builder of such structures.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the parish records of the town of Nuremberg, where a certain Hans Latshaw was mentioned in a document dated 1582. This indicates that the name was already in use during that time period and was likely established in the region for several generations prior.
In the 17th century, the Latshaw family is known to have resided in the village of Prichsenstadt, located in the district of Kitzingen, Lower Franconia. This area was a hub for woodworkers and carpenters, which further supports the theory that the name was associated with individuals involved in the construction of wooden structures.
The name Latshaw has also been found in various historical records, such as the Würzburg Episcopal Archives, which contain documents mentioning individuals with this surname from the late 16th and early 17th centuries. One notable entry is that of Johann Latshaw, a woodcarver who was commissioned to create intricate carvings for the local church in 1615.
As the Latshaw family spread across Europe, variations in the spelling of the name emerged, including Latshau, Latshawe, and Latschau. In the 18th century, several members of the Latshaw family immigrated to the American colonies, with one of the earliest recorded arrivals being Johann Christoph Latshaw, who settled in Pennsylvania in 1738.
Among the notable individuals bearing the Latshaw surname throughout history are:
1. Michael Latshaw (1793-1868), a German-American artist known for his landscape paintings and portraits.
2. Wilhelm Latshaw (1822-1898), a German philosopher and educator who taught at the University of Heidelberg.
3. Eliza Latshaw (1856-1930), an American activist and advocate for women's suffrage.
4. Heinrich Latshaw (1877-1943), a German-born architect who designed several prominent buildings in New York City.
5. Gertrude Latshaw (1901-1988), an American botanist and educator who made significant contributions to the study of plant taxonomy.
The surname Latshaw has a rich history deeply rooted in the German regions of Bavaria and Franconia, with its origins likely stemming from the occupation of woodworkers and builders. Despite variations in spelling over the centuries, the name has retained its distinct identity and has been carried by numerous individuals across various fields and professions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Latshaw
Among Census respondents with the surname Latshaw, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.2%) and Two or More Races (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Latshaw 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 Latshaw surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.0% · 1,293
- Hispanic or Latino2.2% · 30
- Two or more races2.0% · 27
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 9
- Black or African American0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Latshaw
Latshaw 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
#17,874
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,565
+25 bearers (+1.6%)
Per 100,000 0.53
Rank movement Down 873 places
2020
#19,812
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,361
-204 bearers (-13.0%)
Per 100,000 0.46
Rank movement Down 1,938 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #17,001 | 1,540 | 0.57 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #17,874 | 1,565 | 0.53 | +25 bearers (+1.6%) | Down 873 places |
| 2020 | #19,812 | 1,361 | 0.46 | -204 bearers (-13.0%) | Down 1,938 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 Latshaw 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 | #17,874 | #19,812 | -10.8% |
| Count | 1,565 | 1,361 | -13.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.53 | 0.46 | -14.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Latshaw bearers went from 1,565 to 1,361 (-13.0% change). The surname moved down 1,938 positions in the national ranking, going from #17,874 to #19,812.
FAQ
Latshaw surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Latshaw?
Name Census estimates that about 1,561 living Americans carry the surname Latshaw. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 219,574 residents.
How common is Latshaw?
Latshaw ranks #19,812 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.46 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 1,361 people with the surname Latshaw. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,561), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.46 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.46 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 Latshaw.
Has Latshaw become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Latshaw went from 1,565 recorded bearers to 1,361. That is a decrease of 204 (-13.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #17,874 to #19,812.
What does the Census say about the background of Latshaw?
Among Census respondents with the surname Latshaw, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.2%) and Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Latshaw in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.0% (1,293 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Latshaw appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.0%), Hispanic (2.2%), Two or More Races (2.0%). 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 Latshaw (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 Latshaw mean?
From a geographical surname meaning someone from a town or place called "Latshaw". 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 Latshaw (0.46 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 Latshaw?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.