2000
#15,825
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,689
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.63
Rare Last name
Lauro
A surname of Italian origin meaning "laurel" or "bay tree".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,060 Americans carry the last name Lauro. That puts it at #15,658 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.60 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 166,386 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lauro 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
2.1K
1 in 166,386
Census rank
#15,658
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,796 bearers of the surname Lauro in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.60 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15658th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lauro, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (13.8%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lauro
The surname Lauro is of Italian origin, derived from the Latin word 'laurus,' meaning laurel or bay tree. The name likely originated in the regions of Campania and Lazio during the Middle Ages.
The laurel tree held great significance in ancient Roman culture, symbolizing victory, honor, and academic achievement. It was commonly associated with poets and scholars who were often crowned with laurel wreaths as a mark of distinction.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Lauro can be traced back to the 13th century, with a mention of a nobleman named Lauro di Monteleone in a manuscript from the Kingdom of Naples. In the 14th century, the name appears in various documents from the Republic of Venice, including records of a Lauro family residing in the city.
During the Renaissance period, the Lauro surname gained prominence in the literary and artistic circles of Italy. One notable figure was Pietro Lauro, a renowned humanist and poet from Naples, born in 1472 and died in 1515. His works, such as "De Viribus Illustribus" and "De Sacerdotio," were widely celebrated and influential during his time.
Another significant individual with the Lauro surname was Vincenzo Lauro, a Neapolitan painter born in 1590 and died in 1642. He was known for his religious paintings and frescoes adorning several churches in Naples, including the Chiesa di Santa Maria della Sanità.
In the 18th century, the Lauro family established themselves as prominent landowners and aristocrats in the region of Caserta, near Naples. One member, Domenico Lauro, born in 1732 and died in 1806, was a respected jurist and served as a judge in the Kingdom of Naples.
The name Lauro has also been associated with several place names throughout Italy. For instance, the town of Lauro, located in the province of Avellino, Campania, likely derived its name from the surname or vice versa. The town's historic roots can be traced back to the 11th century, when it was known as "Lauru" in medieval records.
Over the centuries, the Lauro surname has maintained a strong presence in various regions of Italy, particularly in the southern regions of Campania, Lazio, and Calabria. While the name has seen variations in spelling, such as Lauri and Laurio, the core meaning and association with the laurel tree have remained consistent throughout its history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lauro
Among Census respondents with the surname Lauro, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (13.8%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Lauro 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 Lauro surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.9% · 1,453
- Hispanic or Latino13.8% · 248
- Two or more races3.1% · 56
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 30
- Black or African American0.5% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lauro
Lauro 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
#16,582
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,730
+41 bearers (+2.4%)
Per 100,000 0.59
Rank movement Down 757 places
2020
#15,658
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,796
+66 bearers (+3.8%)
Per 100,000 0.60
Rank movement Up 924 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #15,825 | 1,689 | 0.63 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #16,582 | 1,730 | 0.59 | +41 bearers (+2.4%) | Down 757 places |
| 2020 | #15,658 | 1,796 | 0.60 | +66 bearers (+3.8%) | Up 924 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 Lauro 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 | #16,582 | #15,658 | 5.6% |
| Count | 1,730 | 1,796 | 3.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.59 | 0.60 | 1.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lauro bearers went from 1,730 to 1,796 (+3.8% change). The surname moved up 924 positions in the national ranking, going from #16,582 to #15,658.
FAQ
Lauro surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lauro?
Name Census estimates that about 2,060 living Americans carry the surname Lauro. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 166,386 residents.
How common is Lauro?
Lauro ranks #15,658 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.60 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 1,796 people with the surname Lauro. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,060), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.6 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.60 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 Lauro.
Has Lauro become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lauro went from 1,730 recorded bearers to 1,796. That is an increase of 66 (+3.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #16,582 to #15,658.
What does the Census say about the background of Lauro?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lauro, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (13.8%) and Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Lauro in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.9% (1,453 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lauro appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.9%), Hispanic (13.8%), Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Lauro (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 Lauro mean?
A surname of Italian origin meaning "laurel" or "bay tree". 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 Lauro (0.60 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 are called Lauro?
See how common the surname Lauro is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.