2000
#8,406
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,611
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.34
Rare Last name
Laux
From the German topographic name for someone living near a bog or marshland.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,134 Americans carry the last name Laux. That puts it at #8,732 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.21 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 82,911 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Laux 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
4.1K
1 in 82,911
Census rank
#8,732
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,605 bearers of the surname Laux in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.21 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8732nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Laux, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Laux
The surname Laux originated in Germany, with records dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to be derived from the German word "Loh," which means "a small wood" or "a grove." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who lived near or worked in a small wooded area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Laux can be found in the town of Bergheim, near Cologne, in 1294. A document from that year mentions a person named "Henneko von dem Loh," which translates to "Henneko from the small wood."
In the 14th century, the name Laux appeared in various forms, such as "Loe," "Lohe," and "Loye." These variations likely resulted from regional dialects and differences in spelling conventions at the time.
The Laux family name can be traced to various regions in Germany, including Swabia, Bavaria, and the Rhineland. In the 16th century, a notable figure named Johann Laux (1483-1548) was a German theologian and reformer who played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation.
Another historical figure with the surname Laux was Georg Laux (1595-1640), a German composer and organist who lived during the Baroque period. He is known for his sacred choral works and organ compositions.
In the 18th century, Johann Adam Laux (1711-1788) was a German architect and master builder who designed several churches and buildings in the Palatinate region of Germany.
Moving to the 19th century, Carl Laux (1823-1901) was a German painter and illustrator whose works captured scenes from everyday life and rural landscapes.
One of the most famous individuals with the surname Laux was Heinrich Laux (1888-1962), a German politician and trade unionist. He served as the President of the German Trade Union Confederation (DGB) from 1949 to 1962 and played a significant role in shaping labor policies in post-World War II Germany.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Laux
Among Census respondents with the surname Laux, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Laux 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 Laux surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.9% · 3,350
- Two or more races2.9% · 106
- Hispanic or Latino2.3% · 83
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 37
- Black or African American0.5% · 18
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Laux
Laux 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
#7,925
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,176
+565 bearers (+15.6%)
Per 100,000 1.42
Rank movement Up 481 places
2020
#8,732
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,605
-571 bearers (-13.7%)
Per 100,000 1.21
Rank movement Down 807 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,406 | 3,611 | 1.34 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,925 | 4,176 | 1.42 | +565 bearers (+15.6%) | Up 481 places |
| 2020 | #8,732 | 3,605 | 1.21 | -571 bearers (-13.7%) | Down 807 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 Laux 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 | #7,925 | #8,732 | -10.2% |
| Count | 4,176 | 3,605 | -13.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.42 | 1.21 | -15.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Laux bearers went from 4,176 to 3,605 (-13.7% change). The surname moved down 807 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,925 to #8,732.
FAQ
Laux surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Laux?
Name Census estimates that about 4,134 living Americans carry the surname Laux. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 82,911 residents.
How common is Laux?
Laux ranks #8,732 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.21 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 3,605 people with the surname Laux. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,134), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.21 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.21 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 Laux.
Has Laux become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Laux went from 4,176 recorded bearers to 3,605. That is a decrease of 571 (-13.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,925 to #8,732.
What does the Census say about the background of Laux?
Among Census respondents with the surname Laux, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (2.3%). 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 Laux in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.9% (3,350 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Laux appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.9%), Two or More Races (2.9%), Hispanic (2.3%). 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 Laux (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 Laux mean?
From the German topographic name for someone living near a bog or marshland. 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 Laux (1.21 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 Laux?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.