2000
#34,856
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 613
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.23
Very Rare Last name
Lautner
From German, referring to a person who played lute or a lute-maker.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 654 Americans carry the last name Lautner. That puts it at #41,199 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.19 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 524,089 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lautner 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
654
1 in 524,089
Census rank
#41,199
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
570
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 570 bearers of the surname Lautner in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.19 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 41199th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lautner, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.1%) and Hispanic (1.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lautner
The surname Lautner is of German origin, tracing its roots back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have derived from the Old German word "lūtinari," which referred to a bell ringer or a person responsible for ringing bells in churches or monasteries.
This occupational surname emerged in the regions of present-day Germany, particularly in the areas around the Rhine River. The earliest known references to the Lautner name can be found in medieval records dating back to the 13th and 14th centuries, often spelled as "Lüttner" or "Lüttener."
In the 15th century, a notable figure named Hans Lautner (c. 1420-1490) was mentioned in the chronicles of the city of Nuremberg, where he served as a respected bell ringer at the Church of St. Sebald. His son, Lorenz Lautner (c. 1450-1518), followed in his footsteps and became a renowned bell maker in the same city.
The Lautner name also appears in historical records from the 16th century, such as the Palatinate tax rolls of 1555, which listed several families with variations of the surname, including Lautner, Lauttner, and Leutner.
In the 17th century, a prominent figure named Johann Lautner (1624-1688) was born in the town of Schorndorf, in what is now the state of Baden-Württemberg. He was a renowned clockmaker and is credited with inventing a new type of clock escapement mechanism.
Another noteworthy individual was Philipp Lautner (1737-1809), a German composer and organist from the city of Darmstadt. He gained recognition for his contributions to church music and his compositions for organ and other instruments.
As the Lautner family spread throughout different regions of Germany, the surname also took on various spellings, such as Lautner, Lautener, and Lautmann, reflecting local linguistic variations.
Over the centuries, the Lautner name has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including artisans, musicians, clergy, and more, reflecting the rich tapestry of German cultural heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lautner
Among Census respondents with the surname Lautner, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.1%) and Hispanic (1.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Lautner 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 Lautner surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.0% · 536
- Two or more races2.1% · 12
- Hispanic or Latino1.4% · 8
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.2% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lautner
Lautner 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
#38,691
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 571
-42 bearers (-6.9%)
Per 100,000 0.19
Rank movement Down 3,835 places
2020
#41,199
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 570
-1 bearers (-0.2%)
Per 100,000 0.19
Rank movement Down 2,508 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #34,856 | 613 | 0.23 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #38,691 | 571 | 0.19 | -42 bearers (-6.9%) | Down 3,835 places |
| 2020 | #41,199 | 570 | 0.19 | -1 bearers (-0.2%) | Down 2,508 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 Lautner 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 | #38,691 | #41,199 | -6.5% |
| Count | 571 | 570 | -0.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.19 | 0.19 | 0.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lautner bearers went from 571 to 570 (-0.2% change). The surname moved down 2,508 positions in the national ranking, going from #38,691 to #41,199.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Lautner
FAQ
Lautner surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lautner?
Name Census estimates that about 654 living Americans carry the surname Lautner. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 524,089 residents.
How common is Lautner?
Lautner ranks #41,199 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.19 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 570 people with the surname Lautner. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (654), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.19 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.19 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 Lautner.
Has Lautner become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lautner went from 571 recorded bearers to 570. That is a decrease of 1 (-0.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #38,691 to #41,199.
What does the Census say about the background of Lautner?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lautner, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.1%) and Hispanic (1.4%). 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 Lautner in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.0% (536 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lautner appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.0%), Two or More Races (2.1%), Hispanic (1.4%). 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 Lautner (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 Lautner mean?
From German, referring to a person who played lute or a lute-maker. 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 Lautner (0.19 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 Lautner?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Lautner at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.