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

Lothian, 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 Lothian surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Lothian in America

Lothian is the 50659th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Lothian surname appeared 412 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 Lothian.

We can also compare 2010 data for Lothian 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 Lothian

The surname Lothian has its origins in Scotland, dating back to the 12th century. It is a locational name derived from the region of Lothian, which encompasses the areas around Edinburgh and the Scottish Borders. The name is believed to have stemmed from the old Brittonic word "loidam," meaning "vacant" or "empty land."

Lothian was a prominent name in medieval Scottish records. One of the earliest mentions can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which recorded those who swore fealty to King Edward I of England. The name appears as "William de Louthian," suggesting variations in spelling during that period.

In the 14th century, the Lothian family held lands near the town of Jedburgh in the Scottish Borders. Sir William Lothian (c. 1350-1410) was a notable figure who served as a knight and ambassador under King Robert II and King Robert III.

The Lothian surname also has ties to the Lothian family of Saltoun, East Lothian. This branch can be traced back to Sir William Lothian (c. 1520-1580), who was appointed the Lord of Session in 1563 and served as a judge in the Court of Session.

Another prominent individual was Mark Lothian (1635-1703), a Scottish merchant and writer who published a treatise on the management of trade and commerce in 1701. His work was influential in shaping economic policies during the early years of the British union.

During the 18th century, the Lothians were a prominent landowning family in the Scottish Lowlands. William Lothian (1740-1815) was a member of the British Parliament, representing the constituency of Jedburgh from 1784 to 1790.

The Lothian name has also been associated with several place names in Scotland, such as Lothian Burn, a stream in East Lothian, and Lothian Road, a major thoroughfare in Edinburgh. These geographical connections further reinforce the regional origins of the surname.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Lothian

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

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 Lothian 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 Lothian 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 Lothian was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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