2000
#127,186
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 124
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Lauher
A surname derived from a German word referring to a person from a wooded region.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 122 Americans carry the last name Lauher. That puts it at #152,339 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,809,462 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lauher 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
122
1 in 2,809,462
Census rank
#152,339
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
106
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 106 bearers of the surname Lauher in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152339th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lauher, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.0%. The next largest groups are Black (4.7%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lauher
The surname LAUHER is of German origin, with its earliest recorded use dating back to the 15th century in the regions of Bavaria and Swabia. The name is believed to be derived from the Old High German word "lauhtar," which translates to "light" or "bright," potentially referring to a person's fair complexion or radiant personality.
One of the earliest documented instances of the LAUHER surname can be found in a 1472 record from the city of Augsburg, where a certain Hans Lauher is mentioned as a respected citizen and merchant. This record provides valuable insight into the presence of the name in the region during the late medieval period.
In the 16th century, the LAUHER surname gained prominence in the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, located in the northern part of Bavaria. Several families bearing this name were recorded in the town's tax registers and guild records, indicating their involvement in various trades and professions.
A noteworthy individual with the LAUHER surname was Johann Lauher, a renowned religious scholar and theologian who lived from 1568 to 1632. Hailing from the town of Nördlingen in Swabia, Johann Lauher made significant contributions to the study of Protestant theology and authored several influential works on the subject.
During the 17th century, the LAUHER name appeared in various records across the German states, reflecting the family's migration and settlement patterns. One notable figure from this era was Christoph Lauher (1610-1678), a skilled architect and builder who was responsible for the construction of several churches and public buildings in the city of Würzburg.
In the 18th century, the LAUHER surname found its way into the annals of military history. Johann Friedrich Lauher (1723-1792), a Prussian officer, distinguished himself in several battles during the Seven Years' War and later rose to the rank of general in the Prussian Army.
As the centuries progressed, the LAUHER name continued to spread across Germany and beyond, with descendants of the family establishing roots in various regions. Notable bearers of the name include Wilhelm Lauher (1856-1922), a renowned painter and art educator from the city of Düsseldorf, and Margarete Lauher (1891-1975), a celebrated German operatic soprano who performed on stages throughout Europe.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lauher
Among Census respondents with the surname Lauher, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.0%. The next largest groups are Black (4.7%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Lauher 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 Lauher surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.0% · 88
- Black or African American4.7% · 5
- Two or more races4.7% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.8% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lauher
Lauher 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
#149,395
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
-14 bearers (-11.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 22,209 places
2020
#152,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
-4 bearers (-3.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 2,944 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #127,186 | 124 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #149,395 | 110 | 0.04 | -14 bearers (-11.3%) | Down 22,209 places |
| 2020 | #152,339 | 106 | 0.04 | -4 bearers (-3.6%) | Down 2,944 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 Lauher 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 | #149,395 | #152,339 | -2.0% |
| Count | 110 | 106 | -3.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -11.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lauher bearers went from 110 to 106 (-3.6% change). The surname moved down 2,944 positions in the national ranking, going from #149,395 to #152,339.
FAQ
Lauher surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lauher?
Name Census estimates that about 122 living Americans carry the surname Lauher. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,809,462 residents.
How common is Lauher?
Lauher ranks #152,339 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 106 people with the surname Lauher. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (122), 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 Lauher.
Has Lauher become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lauher went from 110 recorded bearers to 106. That is a decrease of 4 (-3.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #149,395 to #152,339.
What does the Census say about the background of Lauher?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lauher, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.0%. The next largest groups are Black (4.7%) and Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Lauher in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.0% (88 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lauher appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.0%), Black (4.7%), Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Lauher (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 Lauher mean?
A surname derived from a German word referring to a person from a wooded region. 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 Lauher (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 last name Lauher?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Lauher, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.