Find out how popular the last name Longstaff is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Longstaff.

Longstaff, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Longstaff surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Longstaff in America

Longstaff is the 45253rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Longstaff surname appeared 473 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Longstaff.

We can also compare 2010 data for Longstaff to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Longstaff

The surname Longstaff is of English origin and dates back to the late 12th century. It is a locational name derived from the Old English words "lang" meaning long and "stæf" meaning staff or pole, likely referring to a long boundary marker or signpost.

The name is believed to have originated in the northern counties of England, particularly Yorkshire and Durham, where records show early variants such as Langstafe and Langstaffe. One of the earliest recorded instances is found in the Yorkshire Feet of Fines for 1202, which mentions a Johannes de Langstaf.

In the 13th century, the name appears in various historical documents, including the Hundred Rolls of Lincolnshire from 1273, which lists a William de Langestaf. The Longstaff name is also found in the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire from 1301, indicating its presence in the region during that period.

Notable individuals bearing the Longstaff surname include Sir John Longstaff (1549-1630), an English lawyer and member of the Middle Temple in London. Another prominent figure was Thomas Longstaff (1675-1762), a merchant and landowner from Durham who served as the High Sheriff of Durham in 1738.

In the 19th century, George Blundell Longstaff (1822-1904) was a renowned English geologist and explorer who made significant contributions to the study of glaciers and mountaineering. He was also a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society.

Other notable Longstaffs include Thomas Longstaff (1844-1911), an English botanist and entomologist who studied the flora and fauna of the Himalayan region, and Walter Longstaff (1876-1955), a British amateur golfer who competed in the early 20th century and won the French Amateur Championship in 1904.

While the name Longstaff has its roots in northern England, it has since spread to other parts of the country and beyond, with various spellings and variations emerging over time, such as Longstaffe, Longstaff, and Langstaff.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Longstaff

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Longstaff.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Longstaff was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Longstaff has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Longstaff was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Longstaff, please contact us.

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