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

Lounsbury, 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 Lounsbury surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Lounsbury in America

Lounsbury is the 12264th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Lounsbury surname appeared 2,536 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Lounsbury.

We can also compare 2010 data for Lounsbury 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 Lounsbury

The surname Lounsbury has its origins in England, tracing back to the 13th century. It is believed to be derived from a place name, potentially referring to a town or village where the earliest bearers of the name resided. One possible theory suggests that it is a combination of the Old English words "loun," meaning a meadow or pasture, and "bury," meaning a fortified town or settlement.

In the Hundred Rolls of 1273, one of the earliest records of English surnames, there is a reference to a Robert de Lounsbury, indicating the presence of this surname in medieval England. Another early record can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1301, which mentions a John de Lounsbury.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with this surname was Sir Walter Lounsbury, a knight who lived in the late 14th century. He is mentioned in the Rolls of Parliament from 1376 for his involvement in a legal dispute over land ownership.

In the 16th century, the surname appeared with variations in spelling, such as Lownsbury and Loundesborough. This was common during that era due to the lack of standardized spelling conventions. One notable individual from this period was William Lounsbury, a merchant and landowner from Gloucestershire, who was born in 1525 and died in 1592.

During the English Civil War in the 17th century, a prominent figure named Richard Lounsbury served as a colonel in the Parliamentary forces. He played a significant role in several battles against the Royalists and was later appointed as a member of the High Court of Justice that tried and convicted King Charles I.

In the 18th century, the surname gained recognition through the work of Thomas Lounsbury, a renowned scholar and author who lived from 1738 to 1825. He wrote extensively on English literature and was widely respected for his contributions to the field.

Another notable figure was Sir John Lounsbury, a British naval officer and explorer who lived from 1792 to 1858. He led several expeditions to the Arctic regions and made significant contributions to the mapping and exploration of the area.

The 19th century saw the surname spread to different parts of the world, including the United States and Canada, as a result of immigration from England. One prominent American with this surname was Thomas Raynesford Lounsbury, a renowned literary scholar and professor at Yale University, who lived from 1838 to 1915.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Lounsbury

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

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

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

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