2000
#8,617
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,515
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.30
Rare Last name
Lansing
A surname derived from the place name Lansing, meaning "family or followers of someone named Lans."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,751 Americans carry the last name Lansing. That puts it at #9,508 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.09 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 91,377 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lansing 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
3.8K
1 in 91,377
Census rank
#9,508
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,271 bearers of the surname Lansing in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.09 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9508th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lansing, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.8%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (6.8%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lansing
The surname Lansing originated in the Low Countries, encompassing modern-day Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg. It traces its roots back to the 12th century, derived from the Old Dutch word "landsinge," meaning "people of the land." This name was likely coined to distinguish those who lived in rural areas from the inhabitants of cities or towns.
Lansing is a locational surname, referring to a specific place or area. One of the earliest recorded instances of this name appears in a 13th-century charter from the county of Flanders, where a certain Willem van Lansinghe is mentioned as a landowner. This suggests that the name may have originated from a particular village or hamlet called Lansinghe, although the exact location is now lost to history.
In the 14th century, the name appears in various spellings, such as Lansinghe, Lansynge, and Lanssinge, reflecting the linguistic variations of the time. One notable individual from this period was Jan van Lansinghe, a prominent merchant and alderman in the city of Ghent, who lived from circa 1320 to 1382.
As the surname spread across Europe, it underwent further transformations. In England, it appeared as Lansing, Lansinge, and Landsing, while in Germany, variations like Lansingh and Lansing were common. One of the earliest recorded Lansings in England was Robert Lansing, a landowner in Oxfordshire, mentioned in the Hundred Rolls of 1273.
In the 16th century, the Lansing name gained prominence in the Dutch Republic, particularly in the province of Utrecht. Adriaen Lansing, born in 1559, was a respected scholar and clergyman who served as the rector of the Latin School in Utrecht. His son, Gerrit Lansing (1592-1663), was a prominent lawyer and diplomat who represented the Dutch Republic in several international negotiations.
During the 17th century, several Lansings immigrated to the New World, settling in the Dutch colony of New Netherland (later New York). One of the earliest arrivals was Gerrit Fredericksen Lansing, who arrived in 1637 and established a farm on the Hudson River. His descendants played significant roles in the early history of New York, with various members serving as mayors, judges, and military officers.
Another notable figure was Abraham Jacobsen Lansing (1663-1728), a wealthy merchant and landowner in Albany, New York. His son, Jacob Lansing (1692-1768), was a prominent figure in the colonial era, serving as a member of the New York Provincial Assembly and as a justice of the peace.
In the 19th century, John Lansing Jr. (1754-1829) was a prominent American statesman and jurist. He served as a delegate to the Continental Congress, the New York State Constitutional Convention, and was appointed as the Chief Justice of the New York Supreme Court.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lansing
Among Census respondents with the surname Lansing, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.8%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (6.8%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Lansing 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 Lansing surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.8% · 2,808
- American Indian and Alaska Native6.8% · 223
- Two or more races3.1% · 102
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 85
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 33
- Black or African American0.6% · 20
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lansing
Lansing 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
#8,706
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,770
+255 bearers (+7.3%)
Per 100,000 1.28
Rank movement Down 89 places
2020
#9,508
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,271
-499 bearers (-13.2%)
Per 100,000 1.09
Rank movement Down 802 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,617 | 3,515 | 1.30 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,706 | 3,770 | 1.28 | +255 bearers (+7.3%) | Down 89 places |
| 2020 | #9,508 | 3,271 | 1.09 | -499 bearers (-13.2%) | Down 802 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 Lansing 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 | #8,706 | #9,508 | -9.2% |
| Count | 3,770 | 3,271 | -13.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.28 | 1.09 | -14.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lansing bearers went from 3,770 to 3,271 (-13.2% change). The surname moved down 802 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,706 to #9,508.
FAQ
Lansing surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lansing?
Name Census estimates that about 3,751 living Americans carry the surname Lansing. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 91,377 residents.
How common is Lansing?
Lansing ranks #9,508 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.09 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 3,271 people with the surname Lansing. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,751), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.09 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.09 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 Lansing.
Has Lansing become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lansing went from 3,770 recorded bearers to 3,271. That is a decrease of 499 (-13.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,706 to #9,508.
What does the Census say about the background of Lansing?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lansing, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.8%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (6.8%) and Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Lansing in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.8% (2,808 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lansing appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.8%), American Indian/Alaska Native (6.8%), Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Lansing (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 Lansing mean?
A surname derived from the place name Lansing, meaning "family or followers of someone named Lans." 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 Lansing (1.09 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 have the surname Lansing?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.