2000
#8,481
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,577
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.33
Rare Last name
Lahr
A German habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "bare" or "empty" in Middle High German.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,113 Americans carry the last name Lahr. That puts it at #8,773 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.20 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 83,334 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lahr 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
4.1K
1 in 83,334
Census rank
#8,773
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,587 bearers of the surname Lahr in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.20 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8773rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lahr, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lahr
The surname Lahr has its origins in Germany, specifically in the region of Baden-Württemberg, where it first emerged in the 16th century. The name is believed to be derived from the Old High German word "lār," meaning a meadow or clearing, suggesting that the earliest bearers of this name may have lived in or near such an area.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Lahr can be found in the Wuerttemberg Ortsnamensbuch, a historical record of place names in the region, dating back to the late 16th century. This reference suggests that the name was associated with the town of Lahr, located in the Black Forest region of Baden-Württemberg.
In the 17th century, the name Lahr appeared in various church records and municipal documents across Baden-Württemberg, indicating the spread and establishment of families bearing this surname. One notable individual from this period was Johannes Lahr (1639-1712), a Lutheran pastor and theologian who served in the town of Schorndorf.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, the Lahr surname continued to be prominent in the Baden-Württemberg region, with several individuals making notable contributions. Johann Friedrich Lahr (1769-1845) was a renowned architect and urban planner responsible for the design of several buildings and public spaces in the city of Stuttgart.
As the Lahr family members migrated to other parts of Europe and beyond, the surname gained recognition in different contexts. In the field of literature, René Lahr (1878-1935) was a French author and journalist known for his works on art and cultural criticism.
The 20th century saw the rise of notable figures bearing the Lahr surname in various fields. Bert Lahr (1895-1967) was an American actor and comedian best known for his portrayal of the Cowardly Lion in the classic film "The Wizard of Oz." Kurt Lahr (1914-1998) was a renowned American theater critic and journalist, recognized for his insightful reviews and commentary on Broadway productions.
One of the most recent prominent individuals with the Lahr surname is Christine Lahr (born 1959), a German actress and television personality who has appeared in numerous TV shows and films throughout her career.
While the Lahr surname has its roots in the Baden-Württemberg region of Germany, it has since spread to various parts of the world, carried by families and individuals who have contributed to diverse fields and industries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lahr
Among Census respondents with the surname Lahr, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Lahr 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 Lahr surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.3% · 3,310
- Two or more races3.0% · 107
- Hispanic or Latino2.1% · 77
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.2% · 44
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 25
- Black or African American0.7% · 24
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lahr
Lahr 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
#8,928
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,666
+89 bearers (+2.5%)
Per 100,000 1.24
Rank movement Down 447 places
2020
#8,773
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,587
-79 bearers (-2.2%)
Per 100,000 1.20
Rank movement Up 155 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,481 | 3,577 | 1.33 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,928 | 3,666 | 1.24 | +89 bearers (+2.5%) | Down 447 places |
| 2020 | #8,773 | 3,587 | 1.20 | -79 bearers (-2.2%) | Up 155 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 Lahr 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 | #8,928 | #8,773 | 1.7% |
| Count | 3,666 | 3,587 | -2.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.24 | 1.20 | -3.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lahr bearers went from 3,666 to 3,587 (-2.2% change). The surname moved up 155 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,928 to #8,773.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Lahr
FAQ
Lahr surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lahr?
Name Census estimates that about 4,113 living Americans carry the surname Lahr. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 83,334 residents.
How common is Lahr?
Lahr ranks #8,773 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.20 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 3,587 people with the surname Lahr. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,113), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.2 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.20 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 Lahr.
Has Lahr become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lahr went from 3,666 recorded bearers to 3,587. That is a decrease of 79 (-2.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #8,928 to #8,773.
What does the Census say about the background of Lahr?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lahr, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.1%). 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 Lahr in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.3% (3,310 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lahr appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.3%), Two or More Races (3.0%), Hispanic (2.1%). 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 Lahr (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 Lahr mean?
A German habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "bare" or "empty" in Middle High German. 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 Lahr (1.20 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 Lahr?
Want to know how many people have the surname Lahr? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.