2000
#10,543
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,791
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.03
Rare Last name
Laverty
A surname of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic "Ó Labhradha," meaning "descendant of Labhradha" (spokesman or orator).
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,897 Americans carry the last name Laverty. That puts it at #11,847 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.85 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 118,314 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Laverty 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 Laverty with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.9K
1 in 118,314
Census rank
#11,847
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,526 bearers of the surname Laverty in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.85 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11847th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Laverty, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Laverty
The surname Laverty originates from Ireland, specifically from the county of Fermanagh. It is believed to have derived from the Irish Gaelic word "labhartha," meaning "talkative" or "eloquent." This suggests that the name was initially given as a descriptive nickname to someone who was known for their oratory skills or loquaciousness.
The earliest recorded instance of the name Laverty dates back to the 16th century, when it appeared in the Fiants of the Tudor Conquest of Ireland. These were official records kept by the English administration in Ireland during the reign of the Tudor monarchs. The name was likely anglicized from its original Irish Gaelic form during this period.
One of the earliest notable bearers of the name was Sir Patrick Laverty, who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. He was a prominent landowner and member of the Irish gentry in County Fermanagh. Another early figure was John Laverty, a 17th-century Irish scholar and poet who wrote in the Irish language.
In the 18th century, the Laverty name gained prominence with Patrick Laverty, a renowned Irish harper who was born in County Fermanagh in 1720. He was one of the last great practitioners of the ancient Irish harp tradition and is remembered for his contributions to preserving and promoting Irish music and culture.
The 19th century saw the birth of James Laverty, a notable Irish-American businessman and philanthropist. Born in County Fermanagh in 1835, he immigrated to the United States and became a successful entrepreneur in the mining industry. Laverty is remembered for his generous donations to educational and cultural institutions in both Ireland and America.
Another notable figure was John Laverty, a 19th-century Irish nationalist and journalist. Born in 1856, he was a prominent advocate for Irish independence and played a significant role in the Irish literary revival movement. His writings and activism helped shape the course of Irish nationalism during this pivotal period.
While the Laverty name has its roots in Ireland, it has since spread to other parts of the world due to immigration and diaspora. However, its origins can be traced back to the ancient Irish Gaelic language and the descriptive nickname bestowed upon an eloquent individual many centuries ago.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Laverty
Among Census respondents with the surname Laverty, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Laverty 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 Laverty surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.0% · 2,323
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 91
- Two or more races3.2% · 80
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 16
- Black or African American0.4% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Laverty
Laverty 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
#11,044
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,879
+88 bearers (+3.2%)
Per 100,000 0.98
Rank movement Down 501 places
2020
#11,847
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,526
-353 bearers (-12.3%)
Per 100,000 0.85
Rank movement Down 803 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,543 | 2,791 | 1.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,044 | 2,879 | 0.98 | +88 bearers (+3.2%) | Down 501 places |
| 2020 | #11,847 | 2,526 | 0.85 | -353 bearers (-12.3%) | Down 803 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 Laverty 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 | #11,044 | #11,847 | -7.3% |
| Count | 2,879 | 2,526 | -12.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.98 | 0.85 | -13.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Laverty bearers went from 2,879 to 2,526 (-12.3% change). The surname moved down 803 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,044 to #11,847.
FAQ
Laverty surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Laverty?
Name Census estimates that about 2,897 living Americans carry the surname Laverty. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 118,314 residents.
How common is Laverty?
Laverty ranks #11,847 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.85 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 2,526 people with the surname Laverty. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,897), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.85 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.85 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 Laverty.
Has Laverty become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Laverty went from 2,879 recorded bearers to 2,526. That is a decrease of 353 (-12.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,044 to #11,847.
What does the Census say about the background of Laverty?
Among Census respondents with the surname Laverty, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (3.2%). 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 Laverty in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.0% (2,323 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Laverty appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.0%), Hispanic (3.6%), Two or More Races (3.2%). 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 Laverty (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 Laverty mean?
A surname of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic "Ó Labhradha," meaning "descendant of Labhradha" (spokesman or orator). 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 Laverty (0.85 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 Laverty?
You can see how many people have the surname Laverty on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.