2000
#124,109
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 128
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Laughland
A surname derived from a location, likely referring to a place where laughter or merriment occurred.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Laughland. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Laughland 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 Laughland with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Laughland in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Laughland, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (8.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Laughland
The surname Laughland is of Scottish origin, deriving from the Old English words "laf," meaning "remnant" or "leftovers," and "land," referring to a parcel or area of land. It is believed to have first emerged in the Scottish Lowlands during the 12th century.
Laughland was initially a topographic name, given to someone who resided on or near land that was deemed less desirable or less fertile, perhaps due to its location or soil quality. It may have been applied to individuals who settled on the outskirts or fringes of established communities.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a historical document containing the names of Scottish landowners who swore fealty to King Edward I of England. The entry lists a Johnne de Laughland from the region of Berwickshire.
In the 15th century, the name Laughland can be found in various Scottish charters and legal documents, often in association with land grants or property transactions. Some examples include Thomas Laughland, who was granted lands near Jedburgh in 1432, and Robert Laughland, who acquired a parcel of land in East Lothian in 1478.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the name became more widespread across Scotland, with notable bearers such as Sir James Laughland (1560-1638), a prominent merchant and landowner in Edinburgh, and Andrew Laughland (1620-1692), a respected clergyman and author from Fife.
Other notable individuals with the surname Laughland include:
1. Robert Laughland (1763-1831), a Scottish physician and naturalist who made significant contributions to the study of botany and zoology.
2. Margaret Laughland (1827-1903), a Scottish novelist and poet known for her works depicting life in the Scottish Highlands.
3. James Laughland (1865-1943), a Scottish engineer and inventor who patented several improvements to steam engine designs.
4. William Laughland (1890-1976), a Scottish-born Canadian politician who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta.
5. Carolyn Laughland (born 1948), a British author and journalist, best known for her biographies of notable historical figures.
While the surname Laughland is not among the most common in Scotland or elsewhere, it has endured for centuries, reflecting the rich tapestry of Scottish history and the enduring legacy of its land and people.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Laughland
Among Census respondents with the surname Laughland, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (8.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Laughland 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 Laughland surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.0% · 100
- Two or more races8.7% · 10
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.5% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Laughland
Laughland 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
#128,249
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 133
+5 bearers (+3.9%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 4,140 places
2020
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
-18 bearers (-13.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 17,508 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #124,109 | 128 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #128,249 | 133 | 0.05 | +5 bearers (+3.9%) | Down 4,140 places |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | -18 bearers (-13.5%) | Down 17,508 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 Laughland 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 | #128,249 | #145,757 | -13.7% |
| Count | 133 | 115 | -13.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -23.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Laughland bearers went from 133 to 115 (-13.5% change). The surname moved down 17,508 positions in the national ranking, going from #128,249 to #145,757.
FAQ
Laughland surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Laughland?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Laughland. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Laughland?
Laughland ranks #145,757 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 115 people with the surname Laughland. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Laughland.
Has Laughland become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Laughland went from 133 recorded bearers to 115. That is a decrease of 18 (-13.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #128,249 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Laughland?
Among Census respondents with the surname Laughland, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (8.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.5%). 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 Laughland in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.0% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Laughland appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.0%), Two or More Races (8.7%), Asian/Pacific Islander (3.5%). 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 Laughland (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 Laughland mean?
A surname derived from a location, likely referring to a place where laughter or merriment occurred. 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 Laughland (0.04 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 have the surname Laughland?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.