2000
#4,340
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,576
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.81
Rare Last name
Lavender
An English occupational surname for a person who grew or sold lavender flowers, or lived near a lavender field.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,385 Americans carry the last name Lavender. That puts it at #4,700 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.45 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 40,877 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lavender 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Lavender with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.4K
1 in 40,877
Census rank
#4,700
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,312 bearers of the surname Lavender in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.45 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4700th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lavender, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.4%. The next largest groups are Black (24.4%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lavender
The surname Lavender is a locational name derived from the Old French word "lavandier," which means "a lavender seller" or "a worker who cultivated lavender." The name is believed to have originated in France during the Middle Ages.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Lavender can be traced back to the 13th century in various regions of France, particularly in the southern areas where lavender was widely cultivated for its fragrant oil and medicinal properties. It is likely that the name was initially given as a descriptive term to individuals who were involved in the lavender trade or cultivation.
In England, the name Lavender appears in historical records as early as the 16th century, indicating that French settlers or immigrants brought the surname to the country. One notable example is John Lavender, a merchant who lived in London in the late 16th century and is mentioned in several commercial documents of the time.
During the 17th century, the name Lavender became more widespread in England. One prominent figure was Sir Thomas Lavender (1617-1686), an English politician and landowner who served as a Member of Parliament for the county of Hampshire. He was also a staunch Royalist during the English Civil War.
In the 18th century, the Lavender family established themselves as prominent landowners and gentry in various parts of England. William Lavender (1745-1823), a wealthy landowner from Worcestershire, is recorded as having donated substantial funds for the construction of a church in his local community.
Another notable individual with the surname Lavender was Robert Lavender (1798-1873), a British architect and engineer who designed several notable buildings in London, including the original premises of the Athenaeum Club on Pall Mall.
As the name Lavender spread across different regions and countries, it experienced various spelling variations, such as Lavendar, Lavandier, and Lavender. These variations often reflected local dialects or linguistic adaptations.
While the surname Lavender is relatively uncommon compared to some other English surnames, it has a rich historical background rooted in the trade and cultivation of the fragrant lavender plant, which was highly valued for its aromatic properties and uses in perfumes, medicines, and household products.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lavender
Among Census respondents with the surname Lavender, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.4%. The next largest groups are Black (24.4%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Lavender 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 Lavender surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White66.4% · 4,854
- Black or African American24.4% · 1,783
- Two or more races3.7% · 270
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 217
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.0% · 147
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 41
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lavender
Lavender 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
#4,583
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,744
+168 bearers (+2.2%)
Per 100,000 2.63
Rank movement Down 243 places
2020
#4,700
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,312
-432 bearers (-5.6%)
Per 100,000 2.45
Rank movement Down 117 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,340 | 7,576 | 2.81 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,583 | 7,744 | 2.63 | +168 bearers (+2.2%) | Down 243 places |
| 2020 | #4,700 | 7,312 | 2.45 | -432 bearers (-5.6%) | Down 117 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 Lavender 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 | #4,583 | #4,700 | -2.6% |
| Count | 7,744 | 7,312 | -5.6% |
| Per 100K | 2.63 | 2.45 | -7.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lavender bearers went from 7,744 to 7,312 (-5.6% change). The surname moved down 117 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,583 to #4,700.
FAQ
Lavender surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lavender?
Name Census estimates that about 8,385 living Americans carry the surname Lavender. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 40,877 residents.
How common is Lavender?
Lavender ranks #4,700 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.45 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,312 people with the surname Lavender. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,385), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.45 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.45 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Lavender.
Has Lavender become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lavender went from 7,744 recorded bearers to 7,312. That is a decrease of 432 (-5.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,583 to #4,700.
What does the Census say about the background of Lavender?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lavender, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.4%. The next largest groups are Black (24.4%) and Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Lavender in the 2020 Census, accounting for 66.4% (4,854 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lavender appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (66.4%), Black (24.4%), Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Lavender (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 Lavender mean?
An English occupational surname for a person who grew or sold lavender flowers, or lived near a lavender field. 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 Lavender (2.45 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 Lavender?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Lavender, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.