2000
#143,847
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Lauson
A locational surname denoting someone from Lawson, a place in England.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 120 Americans carry the last name Lauson. That puts it at #152,989 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,856,286 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lauson 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 Lauson with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
120
1 in 2,856,286
Census rank
#152,989
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
105
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 105 bearers of the surname Lauson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152989th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lauson, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.8%. The next largest groups are Black (5.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lauson
The surname Lauson has its origins in England, tracing back to the early medieval period around the 12th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English word "laus," meaning "praise" or "renown," and the suffix "-un," which denoted a diminutive form. This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone of small stature or a child who was praised or renowned.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Lauson surname can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where it appears as "Lausun." This historical document recorded landholders and property owners in various counties across England. The name's appearance in these rolls indicates that bearers of the Lauson surname were established in parts of England during this time.
In the 14th century, the surname is documented in the Poll Tax Returns of Yorkshire in 1379, where it is spelled "Laweson." This variation in spelling was common during this era, as standardized spellings were not widely adopted until later centuries.
The Lauson surname has also been linked to several place names in England, such as Lawson Park in Yorkshire and Lawson's Farm in Derbyshire. These places may have derived their names from individuals bearing the Lauson surname who resided or owned land in those areas.
One notable figure in history with the Lauson surname was Sir Wilfred Lawson (1829-1906), a British politician and temperance advocate. He was a member of Parliament and actively campaigned for the prohibition of alcohol. Another individual of note was Cecil Lawson (1851-1882), a British painter known for his landscapes and genre scenes.
Other historical figures bearing the Lauson surname include William Lawson (1585-1659), an English explorer and author who wrote about his travels in North America, and Thomas Lawson (1630-1691), an English Baptist minister and writer who lived in Boston, Massachusetts.
In the literary world, Henry Lawson (1867-1922) was an Australian writer and poet renowned for his short stories and poems depicting the harsh realities of life in the Australian outback.
These examples illustrate the widespread distribution and historical significance of the Lauson surname across various fields and regions, reflecting its enduring legacy over centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lauson
Among Census respondents with the surname Lauson, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.8%. The next largest groups are Black (5.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Lauson 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 Lauson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.8% · 88
- Black or African American5.7% · 6
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.8% · 4
- Two or more races3.8% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lauson
Lauson 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
#150,452
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
+3 bearers (+2.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,605 places
2020
#152,989
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
-4 bearers (-3.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 2,537 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #143,847 | 106 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #150,452 | 109 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.8%) | Down 6,605 places |
| 2020 | #152,989 | 105 | 0.04 | -4 bearers (-3.7%) | Down 2,537 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 Lauson 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 | #150,452 | #152,989 | -1.7% |
| Count | 109 | 105 | -3.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -12.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lauson bearers went from 109 to 105 (-3.7% change). The surname moved down 2,537 positions in the national ranking, going from #150,452 to #152,989.
FAQ
Lauson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lauson?
Name Census estimates that about 120 living Americans carry the surname Lauson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,856,286 residents.
How common is Lauson?
Lauson ranks #152,989 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 105 people with the surname Lauson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (120), 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 Lauson.
Has Lauson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lauson went from 109 recorded bearers to 105. That is a decrease of 4 (-3.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #150,452 to #152,989.
What does the Census say about the background of Lauson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lauson, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.8%. The next largest groups are Black (5.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (3.8%). 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 Lauson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.8% (88 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lauson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.8%), Black (5.7%), Asian/Pacific Islander (3.8%). 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 Lauson (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 Lauson mean?
A locational surname denoting someone from Lawson, a place in England. 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 Lauson (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 share the surname Lauson?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.