2010
#146,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Lavdas
Of Greek origin, potentially referring to someone from the region of Lavda or a descriptive name related to olives or olive cultivation.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 124 Americans carry the last name Lavdas. That puts it at #150,935 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,764,148 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lavdas 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
124
1 in 2,764,148
Census rank
#150,935
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
108
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 108 bearers of the surname Lavdas in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150935th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lavdas, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lavdas
The surname LAVDAS is believed to have originated in Greece, with its earliest known records dating back to the 15th century. It is thought to be derived from the Greek word "lavdanos," which means "laurel" or "bay tree," suggesting that the name may have been given to someone who lived near or worked with laurel trees.
One of the earliest known references to the LAVDAS surname can be found in a 16th-century manuscript from the Greek island of Crete, where a merchant named Georgios LAVDAS is mentioned. This suggests that the name was present in the Cretan community during the Venetian rule of the island.
In the 17th century, the LAVDAS name appears in records from the Peloponnese region of Greece, particularly in the city of Kalamata. A notable figure from this era was Konstantinos LAVDAS (1620-1688), a local landowner and benefactor who funded the construction of a church in Kalamata.
As the Greek diaspora spread throughout the Mediterranean region and beyond, the LAVDAS surname began to appear in various locations. In the 18th century, a family of LAVDAS merchants was documented in the port city of Livorno, Italy, where they had established a successful trading business.
One of the most prominent individuals bearing the LAVDAS name was Efstathios LAVDAS (1790-1865), a Greek scholar and linguist who played a crucial role in the establishment of the modern Greek language. He was born in the village of Vartholomio, near the city of Kalamata, and later became a professor at the University of Athens.
In the 19th century, the LAVDAS name gained further recognition with the birth of Alexandros LAVDAS (1845-1910), a Greek composer and musician who is considered a pioneer of the Greek national music movement. He was born in the town of Pyrgos, in the Peloponnese region, and his works contributed significantly to the preservation and promotion of Greek folk music.
While the LAVDAS surname is primarily associated with Greece, it has also been found in other parts of the world, likely due to the Greek diaspora and migration patterns. However, its origins and historical significance remain deeply rooted in the Greek culture and heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lavdas
Among Census respondents with the surname Lavdas, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Lavdas 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 Lavdas surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.4% · 102
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lavdas
Lavdas appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#150,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
-5 bearers (-4.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,734 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #146,201 | 113 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #150,935 | 108 | 0.04 | -5 bearers (-4.4%) | Down 4,734 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 Lavdas 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 | #146,201 | #150,935 | -3.2% |
| Count | 113 | 108 | -4.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -9.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lavdas bearers went from 113 to 108 (-4.4% change). The surname moved down 4,734 positions in the national ranking, going from #146,201 to #150,935.
FAQ
Lavdas surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lavdas?
Name Census estimates that about 124 living Americans carry the surname Lavdas. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,764,148 residents.
How common is Lavdas?
Lavdas ranks #150,935 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 108 people with the surname Lavdas. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (124), 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 Lavdas.
Has Lavdas become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lavdas went from 113 recorded bearers to 108. That is a decrease of 5 (-4.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #146,201 to #150,935.
What does the Census say about the background of Lavdas?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lavdas, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%). 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 Lavdas in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.4% (102 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lavdas appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.4%), Hispanic (3.7%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%). 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 Lavdas (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 Lavdas mean?
Of Greek origin, potentially referring to someone from the region of Lavda or a descriptive name related to olives or olive cultivation. 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 Lavdas (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 common is the surname Lavdas?
Find out how many people have the surname Lavdas on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.