2000
#11,410
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,533
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.94
Rare Last name
Lounsbury
A locational surname referring to someone from Londesborough, England, likely derived from Old English "lundr" meaning "grove" and "burh" meaning "fortified place."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,613 Americans carry the last name Lounsbury. That puts it at #12,896 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.76 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 131,173 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lounsbury 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
2.6K
1 in 131,173
Census rank
#12,896
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,279 bearers of the surname Lounsbury in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.76 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12896th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lounsbury, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lounsbury
Among Census respondents with the surname Lounsbury, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Lounsbury 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 Lounsbury surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.1% · 2,099
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 92
- Two or more races2.5% · 58
- Black or African American0.4% · 10
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lounsbury
Lounsbury 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
#12,264
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,536
+3 bearers (+0.1%)
Per 100,000 0.86
Rank movement Down 854 places
2020
#12,896
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,279
-257 bearers (-10.1%)
Per 100,000 0.76
Rank movement Down 632 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,410 | 2,533 | 0.94 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,264 | 2,536 | 0.86 | +3 bearers (+0.1%) | Down 854 places |
| 2020 | #12,896 | 2,279 | 0.76 | -257 bearers (-10.1%) | Down 632 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 Lounsbury 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 | #12,264 | #12,896 | -5.2% |
| Count | 2,536 | 2,279 | -10.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.86 | 0.76 | -11.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lounsbury bearers went from 2,536 to 2,279 (-10.1% change). The surname moved down 632 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,264 to #12,896.
FAQ
Lounsbury surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lounsbury?
Name Census estimates that about 2,613 living Americans carry the surname Lounsbury. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 131,173 residents.
How common is Lounsbury?
Lounsbury ranks #12,896 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.76 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,279 people with the surname Lounsbury. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,613), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.76 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.76 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Lounsbury.
Has Lounsbury become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lounsbury went from 2,536 recorded bearers to 2,279. That is a decrease of 257 (-10.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,264 to #12,896.
What does the Census say about the background of Lounsbury?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lounsbury, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Lounsbury in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.1% (2,099 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lounsbury appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.1%), Hispanic (4.0%), Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Lounsbury (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 Lounsbury mean?
A locational surname referring to someone from Londesborough, England, likely derived from Old English "lundr" meaning "grove" and "burh" meaning "fortified place." 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 Lounsbury (0.76 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 are called Lounsbury?
Find out how many people have the surname Lounsbury on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.