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

Lauer, 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 Lauer surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Lauer in America

Lauer is the 3161st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Lauer surname appeared 11,414 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 4 people would have the surname Lauer.

We can also compare 2010 data for Lauer 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 Lauer

The surname Lauer is of German origin, derived from the German word "Lauer," which means "watchman" or "warder." It is believed to have originated in the 13th century, during the Middle Ages.

The name was initially used to refer to individuals who served as watchmen or guards, often tasked with protecting towns, villages, or other important locations. The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to various regions of Germany, including Bavaria, Saxony, and the Rhineland.

One of the earliest known references to the name Lauer can be found in the historical records of the city of Nuremberg, where a certain Konrad Lauer was mentioned as a citizen in 1312. Another notable early mention is in the records of the city of Augsburg, where a Hans Lauer was listed as a resident in the year 1385.

During the 15th and 16th centuries, the Lauer surname began to spread across other parts of Europe, particularly in areas with strong German cultural influences. It can be found in various historical documents and records from this period, including tax rolls, church registers, and military records.

Several notable individuals have borne the Lauer surname throughout history. One of the earliest was Johann Lauer (1492-1564), a German theologian and Protestant reformer who played a significant role in the Reformation movement in the city of Nuremberg.

Another prominent figure was Georg Lauer (1590-1662), a German composer and organist who served as the Kapellmeister (chapel master) at the court of the Elector of Saxony in Dresden. His compositions, particularly his sacred works, were highly regarded during his lifetime and beyond.

In the 19th century, Friedrich Lauer (1812-1878) was a notable German architect and urban planner who contributed significantly to the redesign and modernization of several German cities, including Leipzig and Dresden.

More recently, Peter Lauer (1916-2011) was a renowned German winemaker and viticulturist, recognized for his contributions to the development and promotion of the Riesling grape variety in the Saar region of Germany.

Finally, one cannot discuss the Lauer surname without mentioning the American television personality Matt Lauer (born 1957), who gained international fame as the host of NBC's "Today" show for over two decades.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Lauer

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

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 Lauer 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 Lauer 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 Lauer was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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