2000
#11,557
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,495
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.92
Rare Last name
Laubach
A German toponymic surname indicating an origin near a stream or small river in a low-lying area.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,569 Americans carry the last name Laubach. That puts it at #13,093 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.75 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 133,419 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Laubach 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
2.6K
1 in 133,419
Census rank
#13,093
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,240 bearers of the surname Laubach in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.75 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13093rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Laubach, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Laubach
The surname Laubach originates from Germany and dates back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Old German words "lau" meaning "forest clearing" and "bach" meaning "stream" or "brook". The name likely referred to someone who lived near a stream in a forest clearing.
The earliest recorded instance of the name Laubach can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Anhaltinus, a collection of historical documents from the Anhalt region of Germany, dating back to 1292. The name is spelled "Laubach" in this record.
In the 14th century, the name appeared in various forms such as "Lauebeck" and "Laubeck" in various medieval records and manuscripts from across Germany. Many of these records were associated with small villages or townships named Laubach, which were likely named after the streams or brooks that flowed through them.
One of the earliest documented individuals with the surname Laubach was Johann Laubach, a farmer and landowner who lived in the village of Laubach, near Giessen, in the late 15th century.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the name Laubach became more widespread across Germany, with several notable individuals bearing the surname. These included Hans Laubach (1492-1562), a Lutheran theologian and reformer, and Philipp Laubach (1573-1642), a German composer and organist.
In the 18th century, Johann Christoph Laubach (1701-1779) was a German artist and engraver known for his etchings and engravings of landscapes and architectural subjects.
As the name spread across Europe, it also appeared in different spellings and variations, such as "Laubacher" and "Laubecher". One notable individual was Friedrich Laubacher (1807-1869), a German-American businessman and politician who served as the Mayor of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in the mid-19th century.
Throughout the centuries, the Laubach surname has been associated with various professions and occupations, including farmers, artisans, scholars, and clergy members, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and histories of those who bore this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Laubach
Among Census respondents with the surname Laubach, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Laubach 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 Laubach surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.5% · 2,072
- Two or more races3.3% · 74
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 71
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 15
- Black or African American0.4% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Laubach
Laubach 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
#12,350
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,518
+23 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.85
Rank movement Down 793 places
2020
#13,093
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,240
-278 bearers (-11.0%)
Per 100,000 0.75
Rank movement Down 743 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,557 | 2,495 | 0.92 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,350 | 2,518 | 0.85 | +23 bearers (+0.9%) | Down 793 places |
| 2020 | #13,093 | 2,240 | 0.75 | -278 bearers (-11.0%) | Down 743 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 Laubach 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 | #12,350 | #13,093 | -6.0% |
| Count | 2,518 | 2,240 | -11.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.85 | 0.75 | -11.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Laubach bearers went from 2,518 to 2,240 (-11.0% change). The surname moved down 743 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,350 to #13,093.
FAQ
Laubach surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Laubach?
Name Census estimates that about 2,569 living Americans carry the surname Laubach. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 133,419 residents.
How common is Laubach?
Laubach ranks #13,093 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.75 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,240 people with the surname Laubach. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,569), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.75 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.75 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Laubach.
Has Laubach become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Laubach went from 2,518 recorded bearers to 2,240. That is a decrease of 278 (-11.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,350 to #13,093.
What does the Census say about the background of Laubach?
Among Census respondents with the surname Laubach, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.3%) and Hispanic (3.2%). 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 Laubach in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.5% (2,072 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Laubach appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.5%), Two or More Races (3.3%), Hispanic (3.2%). 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 Laubach (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 Laubach mean?
A German toponymic surname indicating an origin near a stream or small river in a low-lying area. 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 Laubach (0.75 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 Laubach?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.