2000
#5,544
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,760
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.14
Rare Last name
Llewellyn
A Welsh surname derived from the given name Llywelyn, meaning "leader" or "lion-like."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,751 Americans carry the last name Llewellyn. That puts it at #5,679 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.97 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 50,771 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Llewellyn 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 Llewellyn with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.8K
1 in 50,771
Census rank
#5,679
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,887 bearers of the surname Llewellyn in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.97 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5679th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Llewellyn, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.8%. The next largest groups are Black (10.2%) and Hispanic (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Llewellyn
The surname Llewellyn has its origins in Wales, dating back to the 6th century. It is a Welsh name derived from the words "llyw" meaning leader and "llyn" meaning lake or pool, essentially translating to "leader by the lake".
The name was initially associated with the ancient British kingdom of Powys, located in eastern Wales. Historical records indicate that Llewellyn was a popular name among the ruling dynasties of this region during the Middle Ages.
One of the earliest known references to the name Llewellyn can be found in the Welsh chronicle, Brut y Tywysogion (Chronicle of the Princes), which mentions Llewellyn ap Gruffydd (c. 1223-1282), a prominent Welsh ruler who led a revolt against the English and was briefly recognized as the Prince of Wales.
Another notable figure bearing the surname Llewellyn was David Llewellyn (c. 1292-1349), a Welsh clergyman who served as the Bishop of St. Asaph from 1347 until his death. His name appears in various ecclesiastical records from the 14th century.
In the 15th century, the Llewellyn surname can be found in the records of Glamorgan, a historic county in southern Wales. One prominent individual from this area was Sir Morgan Llewellyn (c. 1440-1504), a Welsh soldier and landowner who fought in the Wars of the Roses.
The surname Llewellyn has also been associated with several place names in Wales, such as Llewellyn's Green in Monmouthshire and Llewellyn's Hall in Glamorgan. These place names likely originated from historical figures or landowners bearing the Llewellyn name.
Throughout history, the surname Llewellyn has been spelled in various ways, including Llywelyn, Llewelyn, and Llewellin, reflecting the evolution of the Welsh language and regional variations in pronunciation.
Other notable individuals with the surname Llewellyn include Sir Dillwyn Llewellyn (1826-1903), a Welsh industrialist and philanthropist, and William Llewellyn (1800-1875), a Welsh lawyer and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Cardiganshire.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Llewellyn
Among Census respondents with the surname Llewellyn, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.8%. The next largest groups are Black (10.2%) and Hispanic (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Llewellyn 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 Llewellyn surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.8% · 4,817
- Black or African American10.2% · 599
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 232
- Two or more races3.2% · 187
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 45
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Llewellyn
Llewellyn 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
#5,807
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,955
+195 bearers (+3.4%)
Per 100,000 2.02
Rank movement Down 263 places
2020
#5,679
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,887
-68 bearers (-1.1%)
Per 100,000 1.97
Rank movement Up 128 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,544 | 5,760 | 2.14 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,807 | 5,955 | 2.02 | +195 bearers (+3.4%) | Down 263 places |
| 2020 | #5,679 | 5,887 | 1.97 | -68 bearers (-1.1%) | Up 128 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 Llewellyn 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 | #5,807 | #5,679 | 2.2% |
| Count | 5,955 | 5,887 | -1.1% |
| Per 100K | 2.02 | 1.97 | -2.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Llewellyn bearers went from 5,955 to 5,887 (-1.1% change). The surname moved up 128 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,807 to #5,679.
FAQ
Llewellyn surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Llewellyn?
Name Census estimates that about 6,751 living Americans carry the surname Llewellyn. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 50,771 residents.
How common is Llewellyn?
Llewellyn ranks #5,679 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.97 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,887 people with the surname Llewellyn. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,751), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.97 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.97 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Llewellyn.
Has Llewellyn become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Llewellyn went from 5,955 recorded bearers to 5,887. That is a decrease of 68 (-1.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #5,807 to #5,679.
What does the Census say about the background of Llewellyn?
Among Census respondents with the surname Llewellyn, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.8%. The next largest groups are Black (10.2%) and Hispanic (3.9%). 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 Llewellyn in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.8% (4,817 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Llewellyn appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.8%), Black (10.2%), Hispanic (3.9%). 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 Llewellyn (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 Llewellyn mean?
A Welsh surname derived from the given name Llywelyn, meaning "leader" or "lion-like." 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 Llewellyn (1.97 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 Llewellyn?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.