2000
#3,277
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,021
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.71
Uncommon Last name
Layman
A surname referring to a person without specialized knowledge, derived from the term for a non-ordained church member.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 10,901 Americans carry the last name Layman. That puts it at #3,641 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.18 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 31,442 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Layman 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 Layman with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
11K
1 in 31,442
Census rank
#3,641
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
9.5K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 9,506 bearers of the surname Layman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.18 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3641st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Layman, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Layman
The surname LAYMAN is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period, likely in the 13th or 14th century. It is derived from the Old English word "leman," which initially referred to a beloved person or sweetheart, but later evolved to mean a secular or non-ordained person, as opposed to a member of the clergy.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name LAYMAN can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327, where a certain William le Layman is mentioned. This suggests that the name was already in use by that time and may have initially been an occupational surname denoting a person who was not part of the religious order.
The LAYMAN surname is also thought to be associated with the village of Layman in Oxfordshire, which could have been a place of origin for some families bearing this name. In the 14th century, the village was referred to as "Leman" or "Leyman," indicating a possible connection to the name's etymology.
Notable individuals with the surname LAYMAN throughout history include Sir John Layman (1531-1616), an English merchant and Member of Parliament during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Another prominent figure was Thomas Layman (1677-1765), an English mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the study of celestial mechanics.
In the realm of literature, John Layman (1803-1877) was an American poet and author, known for his works depicting rural life in the 19th century. More recently, John Layman (born 1976) is a contemporary American comic book writer and creator, best known for his work on titles like "Chew" and "Outer Darkness."
Other notable individuals with the LAYMAN surname include Richard Layman (1647-1706), an English clergyman and author of religious texts, and Joseph Layman (1835-1918), an American politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Virginia.
It is worth noting that while the LAYMAN surname has its roots in England, it has since spread to various parts of the world, particularly through immigration and migration patterns over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Layman
Among Census respondents with the surname Layman, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Layman 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 Layman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.1% · 8,659
- Two or more races3.5% · 333
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 286
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 91
- Black or African American0.7% · 71
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 66
Timeline
Historical Census data for Layman
Layman 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
#3,556
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,038
+17 bearers (+0.2%)
Per 100,000 3.40
Rank movement Down 279 places
2020
#3,641
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,506
-532 bearers (-5.3%)
Per 100,000 3.18
Rank movement Down 85 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,277 | 10,021 | 3.71 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,556 | 10,038 | 3.40 | +17 bearers (+0.2%) | Down 279 places |
| 2020 | #3,641 | 9,506 | 3.18 | -532 bearers (-5.3%) | Down 85 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 Layman 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 | #3,556 | #3,641 | -2.4% |
| Count | 10,038 | 9,506 | -5.3% |
| Per 100K | 3.40 | 3.18 | -6.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Layman bearers went from 10,038 to 9,506 (-5.3% change). The surname moved down 85 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,556 to #3,641.
FAQ
Layman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Layman?
Name Census estimates that about 10,901 living Americans carry the surname Layman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 31,442 residents.
How common is Layman?
Layman ranks #3,641 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.18 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 9,506 people with the surname Layman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (10,901), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.18 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.18 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Layman.
Has Layman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Layman went from 10,038 recorded bearers to 9,506. That is a decrease of 532 (-5.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,556 to #3,641.
What does the Census say about the background of Layman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Layman, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Layman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.1% (8,659 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Layman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.1%), Two or More Races (3.5%), Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Layman (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 Layman mean?
A surname referring to a person without specialized knowledge, derived from the term for a non-ordained church member. 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 Layman (3.18 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 Layman?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.