2000
#2,928
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,281
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.18
Uncommon Last name
Lauer
Derived from the German word "lauer," meaning a person who lived near a bog, swamp, or moor.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 12,703 Americans carry the last name Lauer. That puts it at #3,180 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.71 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 26,982 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lauer 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
13K
1 in 26,982
Census rank
#3,180
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
11K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 11,078 bearers of the surname Lauer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.71 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3180th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lauer, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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 It can be found in various historical documents and records from this period, including tax rolls, church registers, and military records.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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lauer
Among Census respondents with the surname Lauer, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Lauer 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 Lauer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.7% · 10,271
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 361
- Two or more races2.5% · 277
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 105
- Black or African American0.4% · 46
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 18
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lauer
Lauer 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
#3,161
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,414
+133 bearers (+1.2%)
Per 100,000 3.87
Rank movement Down 233 places
2020
#3,180
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,078
-336 bearers (-2.9%)
Per 100,000 3.71
Rank movement Down 19 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,928 | 11,281 | 4.18 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,161 | 11,414 | 3.87 | +133 bearers (+1.2%) | Down 233 places |
| 2020 | #3,180 | 11,078 | 3.71 | -336 bearers (-2.9%) | Down 19 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 Lauer 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 | #3,161 | #3,180 | -0.6% |
| Count | 11,414 | 11,078 | -2.9% |
| Per 100K | 3.87 | 3.71 | -4.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lauer bearers went from 11,414 to 11,078 (-2.9% change). The surname moved down 19 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,161 to #3,180.
FAQ
Lauer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lauer?
Name Census estimates that about 12,703 living Americans carry the surname Lauer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 26,982 residents.
How common is Lauer?
Lauer ranks #3,180 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.71 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 11,078 people with the surname Lauer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (12,703), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.71 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.71 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Lauer.
Has Lauer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lauer went from 11,414 recorded bearers to 11,078. That is a decrease of 336 (-2.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,161 to #3,180.
What does the Census say about the background of Lauer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lauer, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.3%) and Two or More Races (2.5%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Lauer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.7% (10,271 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lauer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.7%), Hispanic (3.3%), Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Lauer (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 Lauer mean?
Derived from the German word "lauer," meaning a person who lived near a bog, swamp, or moor. 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 Lauer (3.71 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 people are called Lauer?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Lauer at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.