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

Laughing, 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 Laughing surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Laughing in America

Laughing is the 100302nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Laughing surname appeared 180 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Laughing.

We can also compare 2010 data for Laughing 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 Laughing

The surname "Laughing" is of English origin, and it is thought to have emerged around the 13th century as a descriptive name. It is derived from the Middle English word "laughen," which means "to laugh" or "to be merry." This surname was likely given to someone with a cheerful or laughter-filled disposition.

The earliest recorded instance of the surname "Laughing" can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire, dated around 1279, where it is listed as "Jacobus le Laughyng." This record suggests that the name was initially used as a descriptive nickname before becoming a hereditary surname.

In the 14th century, the surname appeared in various forms, such as "Laughand," "Laghyng," and "Laghyngbury," reflecting regional variations in spelling and pronunciation. One notable bearer of the name during this period was John Laughing, a merchant from Bristol, who was mentioned in historical records from 1349.

By the 15th century, the surname had evolved into its modern spelling, "Laughing." One of the earliest recorded instances of this spelling can be found in the Parish Registers of Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, where a William Laughing was mentioned in 1467.

Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname "Laughing." One such person was Sir Robert Laughing, a prominent landowner and member of the gentry in Northamptonshire during the 16th century (c. 1525 - 1598). Another was Thomas Laughing, a renowned printer and publisher in London during the 17th century (c. 1620 - 1685).

In the 18th century, the name was associated with John Laughing, a successful merchant and shipowner from Bristol (1712 - 1784). He was known for his philanthropic efforts and contributed significantly to the city's development.

Moving into the 19th century, one notable bearer of the surname was Mary Laughing (1820 - 1896), a pioneering educator and advocate for women's education. She founded one of the first schools for girls in London and worked tirelessly to promote educational opportunities for women.

It is worth mentioning that while the surname "Laughing" is relatively uncommon today, it has a rich history and has been borne by individuals from various walks of life throughout the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Laughing

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!