2000
#147,095
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Lausterer
An uncommon surname derived from the German word "laustern," meaning to listen or eavesdrop.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 127 Americans carry the last name Lausterer. That puts it at #148,665 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,698,853 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lausterer 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
127
1 in 2,698,853
Census rank
#148,665
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
111
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 111 bearers of the surname Lausterer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 148665th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lausterer, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (11.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (7.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lausterer
The surname LAUSTERER is of German origin, with its roots traced back to the 14th century in the regions of Bavaria and Austria. It is believed to be derived from the Middle High German word "laustern," which means "to listen" or "to eavesdrop." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who was a skilled listener or perhaps a spy or scout.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the historical records of the city of Regensburg, Germany, where a certain Hans Lausterer was mentioned in a document from the year 1387. Another notable early reference is found in the town of Oberammergau, where the name Lausterer appears in a parish register from the late 15th century.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the LAUSTERER surname spread across various parts of southern Germany and Austria, with a concentration in the regions of Bavaria and Tyrol. Some of the earliest known bearers of the name include Johann Lausterer (1534-1601), a renowned clockmaker from the city of Augsburg, and Michael Lausterer (1578-1642), a Benedictine monk and scholar who wrote extensively on theological subjects.
In the 18th century, the name LAUSTERER gained prominence through the works of the Austrian composer and organist Franz Xaver Lausterer (1706-1783), who served as the Kapellmeister at the court of the Prince-Bishops of Passau. His compositions, particularly his organ works, were highly regarded during his lifetime and continue to be studied by musicians today.
Another notable figure was the German painter and engraver Johann Lausterer (1772-1846), who was born in the town of Landshut and is renowned for his intricate copperplate engravings depicting landscapes and architectural scenes.
As the LAUSTERER family spread across different regions, variations in spelling emerged, including Lauster, Laustera, and Laustre. Some instances of the name can also be found in historical records from neighboring countries like Switzerland and the Czech Republic, reflecting the migration patterns of German-speaking populations in those areas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lausterer
Among Census respondents with the surname Lausterer, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (11.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (7.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Lausterer 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 Lausterer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White77.5% · 86
- Two or more races11.7% · 13
- Asian and Pacific Islander7.2% · 8
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 3
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lausterer
Lausterer 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
#143,149
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
+13 bearers (+12.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 3,946 places
2020
#148,665
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
-5 bearers (-4.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,516 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #147,095 | 103 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #143,149 | 116 | 0.04 | +13 bearers (+12.6%) | Up 3,946 places |
| 2020 | #148,665 | 111 | 0.04 | -5 bearers (-4.3%) | Down 5,516 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 Lausterer 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 | #143,149 | #148,665 | -3.9% |
| Count | 116 | 111 | -4.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lausterer bearers went from 116 to 111 (-4.3% change). The surname moved down 5,516 positions in the national ranking, going from #143,149 to #148,665.
FAQ
Lausterer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lausterer?
Name Census estimates that about 127 living Americans carry the surname Lausterer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,698,853 residents.
How common is Lausterer?
Lausterer ranks #148,665 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 111 people with the surname Lausterer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (127), 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 Lausterer.
Has Lausterer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lausterer went from 116 recorded bearers to 111. That is a decrease of 5 (-4.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #143,149 to #148,665.
What does the Census say about the background of Lausterer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lausterer, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (11.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (7.2%). 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 Lausterer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.5% (86 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lausterer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (77.5%), Two or More Races (11.7%), Asian/Pacific Islander (7.2%). 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 Lausterer (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 Lausterer mean?
An uncommon surname derived from the German word "laustern," meaning to listen or eavesdrop. 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 Lausterer (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 are called Lausterer?
Want to know how many people have the surname Lausterer? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.