2000
#1,259
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 25,624
First available Census row
Per 100,000 9.50
Uncommon Last name
Lau
A Chinese surname meaning "hill" or "mound," or referring to a person who lived near a hill.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 34,674 Americans carry the last name Lau. That puts it at #1,136 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 10.12 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 9,885 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lau 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 Lau with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
35K
1 in 9,885
Census rank
#1,136
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
10.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
30K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 30,237 bearers of the surname Lau in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 10.12 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1136th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lau, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 76.1%. The next largest groups are White (15.1%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lau
Among Census respondents with the surname Lau, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 76.1%. The next largest groups are White (15.1%) and Two or More Races (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Lau 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 Lau surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander76.1% · 23,000
- White15.1% · 4,561
- Two or more races4.5% · 1,369
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 1,182
- Black or African American0.3% · 99
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 26
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lau
Lau 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
#1,187
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 29,792
+4,168 bearers (+16.3%)
Per 100,000 10.10
Rank movement Up 72 places
2020
#1,136
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 30,237
+445 bearers (+1.5%)
Per 100,000 10.12
Rank movement Up 51 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,259 | 25,624 | 9.50 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,187 | 29,792 | 10.10 | +4,168 bearers (+16.3%) | Up 72 places |
| 2020 | #1,136 | 30,237 | 10.12 | +445 bearers (+1.5%) | Up 51 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 Lau 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 | #1,187 | #1,136 | 4.3% |
| Count | 29,792 | 30,237 | 1.5% |
| Per 100K | 10.10 | 10.12 | 0.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lau bearers went from 29,792 to 30,237 (+1.5% change). The surname moved up 51 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,187 to #1,136.
FAQ
Lau surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lau?
Name Census estimates that about 34,674 living Americans carry the surname Lau. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 9,885 residents.
How common is Lau?
Lau ranks #1,136 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 10.12 per 100,000 residents, which is about 10 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 30,237 people with the surname Lau. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (34,674), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 10.12 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 10.12 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 10 of them to have the surname Lau.
Has Lau become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lau went from 29,792 recorded bearers to 30,237. That is an increase of 445 (+1.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #1,187 to #1,136.
What does the Census say about the background of Lau?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lau, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 76.1%. The next largest groups are White (15.1%) and Two or More Races (4.5%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Lau in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.1% (23,000 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lau appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (76.1%), White (15.1%), Two or More Races (4.5%). 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 Lau (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 Lau mean?
A Chinese surname meaning "hill" or "mound," or referring to a person who lived near a hill. 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 Lau (10.12 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 Lau?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.