2000
#8,080
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,779
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.40
Rare Last name
Lillard
An English habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "hill" and "enclosure" or "yard."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,329 Americans carry the last name Lillard. That puts it at #8,400 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.26 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 79,176 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lillard 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
4.3K
1 in 79,176
Census rank
#8,400
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,775 bearers of the surname Lillard in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.26 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8400th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lillard, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.3%. The next largest groups are Black (21.9%) and Two or More Races (5.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lillard
The surname Lillard originated from the Old French word "l'ilard", meaning "dweller by the hillside". This name has its roots in the Normandy region of northern France, where it first emerged in the 11th century during the Norman Conquest of England.
Lillard is a locational surname, derived from a place name that referred to people who lived near a hillside or on a slope. The earliest records of this name can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landholdings and population in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086.
One of the earliest documented instances of the Lillard surname dates back to 1198, when a man named Roger Lillard was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire. This record provides evidence of the name's presence in England during the late 12th century.
Over the centuries, the spelling of the name has evolved, with variations such as Lyllard, Lyllarde, and Lylliard appearing in various historical documents. These variations reflect the inconsistencies in spelling and pronunciation that were common during the Middle Ages.
Notable individuals bearing the Lillard surname include Sir John Lillard (1515-1587), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Another prominent figure was William Lillard (1673-1745), a pioneering settler in Virginia who established a successful tobacco plantation and played a role in the early development of the colony.
In the 19th century, Jeremiah Lillard (1825-1901) gained recognition as a prominent lawyer and judge in Kentucky, serving as a circuit court judge for several years. Additionally, Mary Lillard (1854-1932) was an American educator and author who wrote extensively on the subject of early childhood education.
One of the most celebrated individuals with the Lillard surname in modern times is Damian Lillard (born 1990), a professional basketball player who currently plays for the Portland Trail Blazers in the NBA. Lillard has been a six-time NBA All-Star and won the prestigious NBA Rookie of the Year award in 2013.
The surname Lillard has endured through the centuries, with its origins rooted in the Norman heritage of France and its early establishment in England following the Norman Conquest. Despite variations in spelling and pronunciation, the name has maintained its distinct identity and continues to be carried by individuals around the world.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lillard
Among Census respondents with the surname Lillard, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.3%. The next largest groups are Black (21.9%) and Two or More Races (5.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Lillard 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 Lillard surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White66.3% · 2,503
- Black or African American21.9% · 827
- Two or more races5.8% · 219
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 152
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.4% · 52
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 22
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lillard
Lillard 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
#8,427
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,922
+143 bearers (+3.8%)
Per 100,000 1.33
Rank movement Down 347 places
2020
#8,400
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,775
-147 bearers (-3.7%)
Per 100,000 1.26
Rank movement Up 27 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,080 | 3,779 | 1.40 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,427 | 3,922 | 1.33 | +143 bearers (+3.8%) | Down 347 places |
| 2020 | #8,400 | 3,775 | 1.26 | -147 bearers (-3.7%) | Up 27 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 Lillard 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 | #8,427 | #8,400 | 0.3% |
| Count | 3,922 | 3,775 | -3.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.33 | 1.26 | -5.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lillard bearers went from 3,922 to 3,775 (-3.7% change). The surname moved up 27 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,427 to #8,400.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Lillard
FAQ
Lillard surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lillard?
Name Census estimates that about 4,329 living Americans carry the surname Lillard. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 79,176 residents.
How common is Lillard?
Lillard ranks #8,400 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.26 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 3,775 people with the surname Lillard. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,329), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.26 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.26 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 Lillard.
Has Lillard become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lillard went from 3,922 recorded bearers to 3,775. That is a decrease of 147 (-3.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #8,427 to #8,400.
What does the Census say about the background of Lillard?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lillard, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.3%. The next largest groups are Black (21.9%) and Two or More Races (5.8%). 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 Lillard in the 2020 Census, accounting for 66.3% (2,503 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lillard appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (66.3%), Black (21.9%), Two or More Races (5.8%). 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 Lillard (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 Lillard mean?
An English habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "hill" and "enclosure" or "yard." 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 Lillard (1.26 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 have the surname Lillard?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.