2000
#9,789
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,049
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.13
Rare Last name
Laurence
An English surname derived from a French placename, likely referring to someone from a town called Saint-Laurent.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,214 Americans carry the last name Laurence. That puts it at #10,856 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.94 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 106,644 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Laurence 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 Laurence with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.2K
1 in 106,644
Census rank
#10,856
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,803 bearers of the surname Laurence in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.94 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10856th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Laurence, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.6%. The next largest groups are Black (8.7%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Laurence
The surname LAURENCE originated in France and has Norman roots. It is derived from the Latin "laurentius", which means "from Laurentum", an ancient town in Italy. The name is associated with the laurel plant and has connotations of victory and honor.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Lorence" and "Lorenz". During the Middle Ages, the name was also spelled as "Laurens", "Lorens", and "Lawrance".
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Robert Laurence, a Norman knight who fought in the Conquest of England in 1066. His descendants settled in various parts of England, where the name took on different spellings.
In the 13th century, the name appears in records from the county of Oxfordshire, where a Walter Laurence is mentioned as a landowner. Around the same time, a Ralph Laurence is recorded as a merchant in the city of London.
During the Renaissance period, the name was associated with several notable individuals, including Sir John Laurence (1556-1618), a Lord Mayor of London, and Henry Laurence (1567-1637), an English theologian and President of St. John's College, Oxford.
In the 18th century, a prominent bearer of the name was Stringer Laurence (1697-1775), an English philosopher and scientist who made significant contributions to the study of electricity.
Other notable individuals with the surname LAURENCE include Jacques Laurence (1794-1865), a French artist known for his portraits and historical paintings, and David Laurence (1888-1966), an Australian cricketer who played Test matches for the national team.
The LAURENCE surname has been found in various parts of the United Kingdom, as well as in France, Germany, and other European countries. It has also been carried by individuals who immigrated to North America, Australia, and other regions of the world.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Laurence
Among Census respondents with the surname Laurence, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.6%. The next largest groups are Black (8.7%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Laurence 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 Laurence surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White78.6% · 2,204
- Black or African American8.7% · 244
- Two or more races5.1% · 142
- Hispanic or Latino4.9% · 138
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 49
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 26
Timeline
Historical Census data for Laurence
Laurence 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
#9,722
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,336
+287 bearers (+9.4%)
Per 100,000 1.13
Rank movement Up 67 places
2020
#10,856
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,803
-533 bearers (-16.0%)
Per 100,000 0.94
Rank movement Down 1,134 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,789 | 3,049 | 1.13 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,722 | 3,336 | 1.13 | +287 bearers (+9.4%) | Up 67 places |
| 2020 | #10,856 | 2,803 | 0.94 | -533 bearers (-16.0%) | Down 1,134 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 Laurence 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 | #9,722 | #10,856 | -11.7% |
| Count | 3,336 | 2,803 | -16.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.13 | 0.94 | -17.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Laurence bearers went from 3,336 to 2,803 (-16.0% change). The surname moved down 1,134 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,722 to #10,856.
FAQ
Laurence surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Laurence?
Name Census estimates that about 3,214 living Americans carry the surname Laurence. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 106,644 residents.
How common is Laurence?
Laurence ranks #10,856 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.94 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,803 people with the surname Laurence. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,214), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.94 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.94 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Laurence.
Has Laurence become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Laurence went from 3,336 recorded bearers to 2,803. That is a decrease of 533 (-16.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,722 to #10,856.
What does the Census say about the background of Laurence?
Among Census respondents with the surname Laurence, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.6%. The next largest groups are Black (8.7%) and Two or More Races (5.1%). 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 Laurence in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.6% (2,204 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Laurence appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (78.6%), Black (8.7%), Two or More Races (5.1%). 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 Laurence (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 Laurence mean?
An English surname derived from a French placename, likely referring to someone from a town called Saint-Laurent. 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 Laurence (0.94 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 Laurence?
If you just want to know how common the surname Laurence is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.