2000
#44,027
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 461
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.17
Very Rare Last name
Lourie
Derived from the French word "louri", meaning a parrot or parrot-like bird.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 519 Americans carry the last name Lourie. That puts it at #49,989 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.15 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 660,413 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lourie 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Lourie with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
519
1 in 660,413
Census rank
#49,989
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
453
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 453 bearers of the surname Lourie in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.15 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 49989th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lourie, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Black (2.6%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lourie
The surname LOURIE is of Scottish origin and is believed to have originated in the late 15th or early 16th century. It is thought to be derived from the French word "laurier," which means "laurel." The laurel tree was a symbol of honor and victory in ancient Greece and Rome, and it is possible that the name was given to someone who lived near a laurel grove or who was associated with the plant in some way.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is in the Parish Registers of Dumfries, Scotland, where a John Lourie is mentioned in 1594. The name is also found in various Scottish records from the 16th and 17th centuries, including the Regality of Dalkeith and the Register of the Privy Council of Scotland.
In the 17th century, the name appears to have spread to other parts of Britain, including England and Ireland. In 1654, a John Lourie is recorded as having been granted land in County Antrim, Ireland, as part of the Plantation of Ulster. This suggests that some Scottish Louries may have migrated to Ireland during this period.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Sir John Lourie, a Scottish soldier and courtier who served under King James VI of Scotland (later James I of England) in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. He was born around 1570 and died in 1629.
Another notable figure was Sir Robert Lourie, a Scottish merchant and politician who lived from 1681 to 1757. He served as Lord Provost of Edinburgh and was a member of the British Parliament.
In the 18th century, the name appears in various records from North America, suggesting that some Louries had emigrated from Scotland to the British colonies. For example, a John Lourie is listed as a resident of Fairfield County, Connecticut, in 1790.
One of the most famous bearers of the name was Sir Samuel Lourie, a Scottish-born Canadian businessman and philanthropist who lived from 1841 to 1928. He made his fortune in the lumber industry and was a major donor to various charitable causes in Canada.
Another well-known figure was James Lourie, a Scottish-American military officer who served in the American Civil War. He was born in 1832 and died in 1917, and he was awarded the Medal of Honor for his bravery in the Battle of Chancellorsville in 1863.
While the name LOURIE is relatively uncommon today, it has a long and interesting history, with roots stretching back to Scotland in the late medieval period. Throughout the centuries, it has been borne by individuals from a variety of backgrounds, including soldiers, merchants, politicians, and philanthropists.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lourie
Among Census respondents with the surname Lourie, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Black (2.6%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Lourie 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 Lourie surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.3% · 418
- Black or African American2.6% · 12
- Two or more races2.6% · 12
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.0% · 9
- Hispanic or Latino0.4% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lourie
Lourie 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
#50,564
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 413
-48 bearers (-10.4%)
Per 100,000 0.14
Rank movement Down 6,537 places
2020
#49,989
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 453
+40 bearers (+9.7%)
Per 100,000 0.15
Rank movement Up 575 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #44,027 | 461 | 0.17 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #50,564 | 413 | 0.14 | -48 bearers (-10.4%) | Down 6,537 places |
| 2020 | #49,989 | 453 | 0.15 | +40 bearers (+9.7%) | Up 575 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 Lourie 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 | #50,564 | #49,989 | 1.1% |
| Count | 413 | 453 | 9.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.14 | 0.15 | 8.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lourie bearers went from 413 to 453 (+9.7% change). The surname moved up 575 positions in the national ranking, going from #50,564 to #49,989.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Lourie
FAQ
Lourie surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lourie?
Name Census estimates that about 519 living Americans carry the surname Lourie. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 660,413 residents.
How common is Lourie?
Lourie ranks #49,989 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.15 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 453 people with the surname Lourie. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (519), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.15 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.15 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 Lourie.
Has Lourie become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lourie went from 413 recorded bearers to 453. That is an increase of 40 (+9.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #50,564 to #49,989.
What does the Census say about the background of Lourie?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lourie, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Black (2.6%) and Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Lourie in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.3% (418 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lourie appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.3%), Black (2.6%), Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Lourie (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 Lourie mean?
Derived from the French word "louri", meaning a parrot or parrot-like bird. 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 Lourie (0.15 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 Lourie?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.