2000
#120,330
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 133
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Lauther
A residential surname likely derived from the German "Lauterbach" meaning clear brook or stream.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 118 Americans carry the last name Lauther. That puts it at #154,182 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,904,698 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lauther 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
118
1 in 2,904,698
Census rank
#154,182
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
103
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 103 bearers of the surname Lauther in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154182nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lauther, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.6%. The next largest groups are Black (10.7%) and Two or More Races (6.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lauther
The surname Lauther is believed to have originated in Germany, with roots dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old German word "laut," meaning "loud" or "noisy," and was likely initially used as a descriptive nickname for someone with a loud voice or demeanor.
The earliest known record of the name Lauther appears in the Würzburg Municipal Archives from the year 1273, where a certain Johannes Lauther is mentioned as a resident of the city. This suggests that the name was already established in the region by the late 13th century.
In the 15th century, the name Lauther can be found in various historical records from the southwestern German regions, such as the town of Reichenbach in Baden-Württemberg. One notable individual from this time was Hans Lauther, a master craftsman and woodcarver who lived between 1435 and 1501.
As the name spread across Germany, variations in spelling emerged, including Lauter, Lautrer, and Lauterer. These variations were often influenced by regional dialects and local pronunciation.
In the 16th century, the Lauther surname gained prominence with the birth of Johannes Lauther (1511-1580), a German Lutheran theologian and reformer who was a close associate of Martin Luther. He is considered one of the most influential figures of the Protestant Reformation.
Another significant bearer of the Lauther name was Johann Friedrich Lauther (1733-1801), a German composer and organist who was highly regarded for his church music compositions during the Classical period.
Other notable individuals with the surname Lauther include Karl Lauther (1819-1892), a German businessman and industrialist who founded the Lauther Brewery in Munich, and Wilhelm Lauther (1878-1945), a German architect and urban planner known for his work in Berlin in the early 20th century.
The name Lauther has also been documented in various regions outside of Germany, including parts of France, Switzerland, and Austria, likely due to migration patterns and the spread of German-speaking populations throughout Central Europe.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lauther
Among Census respondents with the surname Lauther, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.6%. The next largest groups are Black (10.7%) and Two or More Races (6.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Lauther 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 Lauther surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.6% · 84
- Black or African American10.7% · 11
- Two or more races6.8% · 7
- Hispanic or Latino1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lauther
Lauther 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
#137,327
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
-11 bearers (-8.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 16,997 places
2020
#154,182
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
-19 bearers (-15.6%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 16,855 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #120,330 | 133 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #137,327 | 122 | 0.04 | -11 bearers (-8.3%) | Down 16,997 places |
| 2020 | #154,182 | 103 | 0.03 | -19 bearers (-15.6%) | Down 16,855 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 Lauther 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 | #137,327 | #154,182 | -12.3% |
| Count | 122 | 103 | -15.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lauther bearers went from 122 to 103 (-15.6% change). The surname moved down 16,855 positions in the national ranking, going from #137,327 to #154,182.
FAQ
Lauther surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lauther?
Name Census estimates that about 118 living Americans carry the surname Lauther. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,904,698 residents.
How common is Lauther?
Lauther ranks #154,182 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 103 people with the surname Lauther. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (118), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Lauther.
Has Lauther become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lauther went from 122 recorded bearers to 103. That is a decrease of 19 (-15.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #137,327 to #154,182.
What does the Census say about the background of Lauther?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lauther, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.6%. The next largest groups are Black (10.7%) and Two or More Races (6.8%). 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 Lauther in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.6% (84 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lauther appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.6%), Black (10.7%), Two or More Races (6.8%). 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 Lauther (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 Lauther mean?
A residential surname likely derived from the German "Lauterbach" meaning clear brook or stream. 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 Lauther (0.03 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 Lauther?
If you just want to know how many Americans have the surname Lauther, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.