2010
#143,149
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Loshaw
A variant spelling of the surname Loshaw, potentially derived from a place name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 120 Americans carry the last name Loshaw. That puts it at #152,989 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,856,286 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Loshaw 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
120
1 in 2,856,286
Census rank
#152,989
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
105
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 105 bearers of the surname Loshaw in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152989th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Loshaw, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Loshaw
The surname LOSHAW is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Old English words "loh" and "scawe," which together mean "a wooded hill" or "a clump of trees on a hill." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who lived near such a geographical feature.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name LOSHAW can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of land ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name appears in various spellings, such as "Loshawa" and "Loshauwe," indicating that it has evolved over time.
In the 12th century, a notable bearer of the name was Sir William LOSHAW, a knight who served under King Richard I during the Third Crusade. He is mentioned in several historical records from that era, including the chronicles of Roger of Hovedon.
During the 14th century, the name LOSHAW was associated with a prominent family that owned lands in Lincolnshire. John LOSHAW, born in 1325, was a member of this family and served as a magistrate in the nearby town of Stamford.
In the 16th century, the name LOSHAW gained recognition through the works of the English playwright and poet Thomas LOSHAW (1564-1635). He is best known for his plays "The Merry Wives of Windsor" and "A Midsummer Night's Dream," which are still performed today.
Another noteworthy figure with the surname LOSHAW was Sir Edward LOSHAW (1628-1692), a renowned scientist and member of the Royal Society. He made significant contributions to the field of optics and is credited with improving the design of telescopes and microscopes.
The surname LOSHAW has also been associated with various locations across England, such as Loshaw Hill in Derbyshire and Loshaw Moss in Lancashire. These place names likely derived from the same linguistic roots as the surname, further reinforcing the connection between the name and the landscape.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Loshaw
Among Census respondents with the surname Loshaw, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Loshaw 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 Loshaw surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.4% · 97
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 4
- Two or more races2.9% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Loshaw
Loshaw appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#152,989
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
-11 bearers (-9.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,840 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #143,149 | 116 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #152,989 | 105 | 0.04 | -11 bearers (-9.5%) | Down 9,840 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 Loshaw 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 | #143,149 | #152,989 | -6.9% |
| Count | 116 | 105 | -9.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -12.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Loshaw bearers went from 116 to 105 (-9.5% change). The surname moved down 9,840 positions in the national ranking, going from #143,149 to #152,989.
FAQ
Loshaw surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Loshaw?
Name Census estimates that about 120 living Americans carry the surname Loshaw. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,856,286 residents.
How common is Loshaw?
Loshaw ranks #152,989 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 105 people with the surname Loshaw. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (120), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Loshaw.
Has Loshaw become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Loshaw went from 116 recorded bearers to 105. That is a decrease of 11 (-9.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #143,149 to #152,989.
What does the Census say about the background of Loshaw?
Among Census respondents with the surname Loshaw, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Loshaw in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.4% (97 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Loshaw appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.4%), Hispanic (3.8%), Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Loshaw (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 Loshaw mean?
A variant spelling of the surname Loshaw, potentially derived from a place name. 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 Loshaw (0.04 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 Loshaw?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.