2000
#107,038
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 154
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.06
Very Rare Last name
Laure
A surname possibly derived from the French feminine given name of the same spelling.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 172 Americans carry the last name Laure. That puts it at #121,361 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.05 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,992,758 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Laure 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
172
1 in 1,992,758
Census rank
#121,361
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
150
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 150 bearers of the surname Laure in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.05 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 121361st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Laure, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (11.3%) and Hispanic (8.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Laure
The surname Laure originated in France during the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Latin word "laurus," which means laurel or bay tree. The laurel tree held significant symbolism in ancient times, representing victory, honor, and academic achievement.
The earliest recorded instances of the Laure surname date back to the 13th century in the regions of Provence and Languedoc in southern France. These areas were known for their rich cultural heritage and were home to many prominent families bearing the Laure name.
One of the earliest known bearers of the Laure surname was Peire de Laure, a troubadour and poet from Provence who lived in the late 12th and early 13th centuries. His works, which celebrated courtly love and chivalry, have been preserved and studied by scholars of medieval literature.
In the 14th century, the Laure name gained prominence through the life and writings of the Italian poet Francesco Petrarca, known as Petrarch. His famous collection of poems, "Il Canzoniere," was inspired by his unrequited love for a woman named Laura de Noves, whose family hailed from the town of Noves in Provence.
Another notable figure associated with the Laure surname was Jean-Paul de Laure, a French philosopher and writer who lived in the 18th century (1722-1807). He was a member of the prestigious Académie Française and authored several works on ethics, politics, and literature.
In the realm of art, the Laure surname is connected to the French painter Maurice Quentin de La Tour (1704-1788), renowned for his exquisite pastel portraits. Although his surname was spelled differently, it shared a similar root with the Laure name.
During the 19th century, the Laure family produced several influential figures in various fields. Émile Benjamin Laure (1804-1863) was a French lawyer and politician who served as a deputy in the National Assembly. His contemporary, Jules Laure (1812-1896), was a distinguished architect responsible for designing several notable buildings in Paris.
Throughout its history, the Laure surname has maintained a strong presence in France, particularly in the southern regions. While it may have evolved in spelling and pronunciation over time, its connection to the laurel tree and its symbolic associations with honor and achievement has endured.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Laure
Among Census respondents with the surname Laure, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (11.3%) and Hispanic (8.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Laure 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 Laure surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White68.0% · 102
- Asian and Pacific Islander11.3% · 17
- Hispanic or Latino8.7% · 13
- Black or African American6.7% · 10
- Two or more races5.3% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Laure
Laure 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
#113,155
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 155
+1 bearers (+0.6%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 6,117 places
2020
#121,361
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 150
-5 bearers (-3.2%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 8,206 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #107,038 | 154 | 0.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #113,155 | 155 | 0.05 | +1 bearers (+0.6%) | Down 6,117 places |
| 2020 | #121,361 | 150 | 0.05 | -5 bearers (-3.2%) | Down 8,206 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 Laure 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 | #113,155 | #121,361 | -7.3% |
| Count | 155 | 150 | -3.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.05 | 0.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Laure bearers went from 155 to 150 (-3.2% change). The surname moved down 8,206 positions in the national ranking, going from #113,155 to #121,361.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Laure
FAQ
Laure surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Laure?
Name Census estimates that about 172 living Americans carry the surname Laure. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,992,758 residents.
How common is Laure?
Laure ranks #121,361 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.05 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 150 people with the surname Laure. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (172), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.05 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.05 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 Laure.
Has Laure become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Laure went from 155 recorded bearers to 150. That is a decrease of 5 (-3.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #113,155 to #121,361.
What does the Census say about the background of Laure?
Among Census respondents with the surname Laure, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (11.3%) and Hispanic (8.7%). 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 Laure in the 2020 Census, accounting for 68.0% (102 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Laure appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (68.0%), Asian/Pacific Islander (11.3%), Hispanic (8.7%). 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 Laure (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 Laure mean?
A surname possibly derived from the French feminine given name of the same spelling. 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 Laure (0.05 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 common is the surname Laure?
You can see how common the surname Laure is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.