2000
#8,347
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,647
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.35
Rare Last name
Lavery
An Irish occupational surname referring to a descendant of a laundry washer or servant.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,098 Americans carry the last name Lavery. That puts it at #8,810 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.20 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 83,639 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lavery 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 Lavery with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.1K
1 in 83,639
Census rank
#8,810
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,574 bearers of the surname Lavery in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.20 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8810th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lavery, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lavery
The surname Lavery has its origins in Ireland and can be traced back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Gaelic word "labhair," which means "to speak" or "to utter." This suggests that the name may have originally been a descriptive one, referring to someone with a distinct manner of speaking or a profession that involved public speaking or oratory.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Lavery can be found in ancient Irish manuscripts and records from the 13th and 14th centuries. One notable example is the Annals of Ulster, which mentions a "Malachias Lauery" in 1303. The name also appears in the Annals of the Four Masters, another important historical source from medieval Ireland.
In the 16th and 17th centuries, the name Lavery was particularly prevalent in the northern counties of Ireland, such as Antrim and Down. During this period, variations in spelling emerged, including Laverey, Laverie, and Lavry. These variations likely arose due to the influence of local dialects and the inconsistencies in record-keeping at the time.
One of the earliest known bearers of the surname Lavery was Sir John Lavery (1856-1941), an acclaimed Irish painter who was best known for his portraits of influential figures in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Another notable individual was Michael Lavery (1842-1904), an Irish Catholic priest and author who wrote extensively on Irish history and folklore.
In the realm of literature, the name Lavery is associated with writer and poet Maude Lavery (1868-1953), who was a member of the Irish literary revival movement and a close friend of W.B. Yeats. Additionally, Maurice Lavery (1894-1962) was a prominent Irish playwright and novelist known for his works that explored the complexities of Irish identity and culture.
The Lavery surname has also been carried by notable figures in other fields, such as Michael Lavery (born 1961), a former professional footballer who played for various clubs in England and Northern Ireland. Furthermore, Emmett Lavery (1907-1956) was an American baseball player who played in the Major Leagues for several teams, including the New York Giants and the Boston Braves.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lavery
Among Census respondents with the surname Lavery, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Lavery 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 Lavery surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.8% · 3,351
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 100
- Two or more races2.4% · 86
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 24
- Black or African American0.3% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lavery
Lavery 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
#8,401
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,938
+291 bearers (+8.0%)
Per 100,000 1.34
Rank movement Down 54 places
2020
#8,810
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,574
-364 bearers (-9.2%)
Per 100,000 1.20
Rank movement Down 409 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,347 | 3,647 | 1.35 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,401 | 3,938 | 1.34 | +291 bearers (+8.0%) | Down 54 places |
| 2020 | #8,810 | 3,574 | 1.20 | -364 bearers (-9.2%) | Down 409 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 Lavery 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 | #8,401 | #8,810 | -4.9% |
| Count | 3,938 | 3,574 | -9.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.34 | 1.20 | -10.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lavery bearers went from 3,938 to 3,574 (-9.2% change). The surname moved down 409 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,401 to #8,810.
FAQ
Lavery surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lavery?
Name Census estimates that about 4,098 living Americans carry the surname Lavery. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 83,639 residents.
How common is Lavery?
Lavery ranks #8,810 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.20 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 3,574 people with the surname Lavery. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,098), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.2 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.20 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 Lavery.
Has Lavery become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lavery went from 3,938 recorded bearers to 3,574. That is a decrease of 364 (-9.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,401 to #8,810.
What does the Census say about the background of Lavery?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lavery, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Lavery in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.8% (3,351 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lavery appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.8%), Hispanic (2.8%), Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Lavery (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 Lavery mean?
An Irish occupational surname referring to a descendant of a laundry washer or servant. 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 Lavery (1.20 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 Lavery?
Want to know how many people are called Lavery? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.