Find out how popular the last name Lau is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Lau.

Lau, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Lau surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Lau in America

Lau is the 1187th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Lau surname appeared 29,792 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 10 people would have the surname Lau.

We can also compare 2010 data for Lau to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Lau

The surname "Lau" has its origins in Germany and Denmark, dating back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have derived from the Old German word "loh," meaning a small forest or wooded area. This suggests that the earliest bearers of this name may have lived near or in a forested region.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name "Lau" can be traced back to the German city of Hamburg in the 13th century, where it appeared in municipal records as "Lawe." This spelling variation likely stemmed from the Low German dialect spoken in that region.

In Denmark, the name "Lau" is thought to have originated from the place name "Lauenburg," a town located in the northern part of the country. Historical records from the 15th century mention individuals with the surname "Lau" residing in this area.

During the 16th century, a notable figure named Hans Lau (1516-1584) was a prominent German printer and publisher based in Wittenberg, where he worked closely with Martin Luther and played a significant role in the spread of the Protestant Reformation through his printing press.

Another historical figure with the surname "Lau" was Johann Friedrich Lau (1687-1768), a German composer and organist who served as the Kapellmeister (chapel master) at the court of the Duke of Saxe-Weissenfels in the early 18th century.

In the 19th century, Carl Lau (1822-1885) was a Danish painter known for his landscapes and genre scenes depicting rural life in Denmark. His works are considered important representations of the Danish Golden Age of painting.

Across the Atlantic, one of the earliest recorded instances of the name "Lau" in North America dates back to the late 17th century, when Johann Lau (1660-1730) immigrated to Pennsylvania from Germany and became one of the founding settlers of Germantown, now part of Philadelphia.

Another notable figure with this surname was Theodor Lau (1670-1740), a German-born architect and builder who emigrated to Russia in the early 18th century and played a significant role in the construction of various landmarks in St. Petersburg, including the Peter and Paul Cathedral.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Lau

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Lau.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Lau was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Lau has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Lau was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Lau, please contact us.

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