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

Laurie, 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 Laurie surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Laurie in America

Laurie is the 9234th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Laurie surname appeared 3,526 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Laurie.

We can also compare 2010 data for Laurie 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 Laurie

The surname Laurie originated in Scotland and is derived from the ancient French given name Laurence or Laurent, which traces its roots back to the Latin name Laurentius. The name Laurentius was derived from the word "laurus," meaning laurel or bay tree.

Laurie is a habitational name, meaning it likely originated from a place name. One theory suggests it may have come from the lands of Laurie in the parish of Uttershill, near Penicuik, Midlothian, Scotland. Another possibility is that it derived from the Norman village of Laury in the department of Calvados, France.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname Laurie can be found in the 13th and 14th centuries in Scotland. In the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which recorded the names of Scottish landowners who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England, the name appears as Lauri and Laurie.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Laurie was Sir Robert Laurie, who was born around 1360 and served as the Provost of Edinburgh in the late 14th century. Another notable bearer of the name was John Laurie (c. 1530-1605), a Scottish theologian and Principal of the University of St. Andrews.

In the 17th century, the surname Laurie was prominent in the Scottish Borders region. James Laurie (c. 1620-1676) was a Scottish mathematician and surveyor who produced the first accurate map of Scotland in 1663. Samuel Laurie (1628-1677) was a Scottish minister and author who wrote several religious works.

Moving into the 18th century, Reverend James Laurie (1688-1759) was a Scottish minister and author who wrote a history of the Church of Scotland. Sir Peter Laurie (1778-1861) was a Scottish lawyer and judge who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1835.

In the 19th century, James Laurie (1811-1876) was a Scottish journalist and writer who founded the Glasgow Herald newspaper. Sir John Laurie (1835-1921) was a Scottish businessman and philanthropist who became Lord Provost of Edinburgh.

These are just a few examples of the many notable individuals throughout history who have borne the surname Laurie, which has its origins in the ancient Latin name Laurentius and the French names Laurence and Laurent.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Laurie

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

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

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

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