2000
#14,813
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,837
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.68
Rare Last name
Lazcano
A Basque habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "a place abounding in aspens or poplars."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,219 Americans carry the last name Lazcano. That puts it at #10,839 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.94 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 106,479 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lazcano 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
3.2K
1 in 106,479
Census rank
#10,839
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,807 bearers of the surname Lazcano in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.94 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10839th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lazcano, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 95.2%. The next largest groups are White (4.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lazcano
The surname Lazcano is of Spanish origin, originating from the Basque region of northern Spain. It is derived from the Basque words "latz" meaning "harsh" or "rough" and "ano" meaning "place" or "locality." This suggests that the name originally referred to a rough or harsh place, potentially describing the landscape or terrain of the area from which the name originated.
Historically, the name Lazcano can be traced back to the 11th century, with records indicating its presence in various parts of the Basque Country. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in the Codex Calixtinus, a 12th-century manuscript that details the pilgrimage routes to Santiago de Compostela. The name appears in the form "Lascano," which is believed to be an earlier spelling of the modern Lazcano.
In the 14th century, the name Lazcano is mentioned in the Becerro de las Behetrías, an important medieval Castilian document that documented the legal status of towns and villages in the region. This document records the name in connection with several villages located in the Basque provinces of Álava and Vizcaya.
One notable individual bearing the Lazcano surname was Pedro de Lazcano, a 16th-century Basque navigator and explorer. Born around 1490 in the town of Lazcano in Guipúzcoa, he is credited with being one of the first Europeans to explore and document the coastline of what is now Mexico.
Another historically significant figure with the Lazcano name is Martín Lazcano, a Spanish soldier and conquistador who participated in the conquest of Peru alongside Francisco Pizarro in the 16th century. Records indicate that he was born in Álava in the late 15th century and played a role in several key battles during the conquest.
In the realm of literature, Juan de Lazcano, born in Vizcaya in the late 16th century, was a notable poet and writer of the Spanish Golden Age. His works, which included poetry and plays, were widely celebrated during his lifetime and contributed to the rich literary tradition of the period.
Moving forward to the 18th century, Ignacio Lazcano was a prominent Spanish military officer who served in the Spanish army during the Napoleonic Wars. Born in Navarra in 1760, he rose through the ranks and played a significant role in several battles against the French forces.
Throughout its history, the Lazcano surname has also been associated with various place names in the Basque region, such as the town of Lazcano in Guipúzcoa, which is believed to be the origin of the name. Additionally, variations in spelling, such as Lascano and Lascanu, have been documented in historical records from different regions and time periods.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lazcano
Among Census respondents with the surname Lazcano, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 95.2%. The next largest groups are White (4.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Lazcano 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 Lazcano surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino95.2% · 2,671
- White4.5% · 125
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 7
- Black or African American0.1% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lazcano
Lazcano 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
#10,935
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,911
+1,074 bearers (+58.5%)
Per 100,000 0.99
Rank movement Up 3,878 places
2020
#10,839
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,807
-104 bearers (-3.6%)
Per 100,000 0.94
Rank movement Up 96 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,813 | 1,837 | 0.68 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,935 | 2,911 | 0.99 | +1,074 bearers (+58.5%) | Up 3,878 places |
| 2020 | #10,839 | 2,807 | 0.94 | -104 bearers (-3.6%) | Up 96 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 Lazcano 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 | #10,935 | #10,839 | 0.9% |
| Count | 2,911 | 2,807 | -3.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.99 | 0.94 | -5.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lazcano bearers went from 2,911 to 2,807 (-3.6% change). The surname moved up 96 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,935 to #10,839.
FAQ
Lazcano surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lazcano?
Name Census estimates that about 3,219 living Americans carry the surname Lazcano. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 106,479 residents.
How common is Lazcano?
Lazcano ranks #10,839 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.94 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 2,807 people with the surname Lazcano. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,219), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.94 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.94 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 Lazcano.
Has Lazcano become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lazcano went from 2,911 recorded bearers to 2,807. That is a decrease of 104 (-3.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #10,935 to #10,839.
What does the Census say about the background of Lazcano?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lazcano, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 95.2%. The next largest groups are White (4.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.2%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Lazcano in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.2% (2,671 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lazcano appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (95.2%), White (4.5%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.2%). 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 Lazcano (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 Lazcano mean?
A Basque habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "a place abounding in aspens or poplars." 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 Lazcano (0.94 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 Lazcano?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.