2000
#25,041
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 930
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.34
Rare Last name
Lapin
A surname of Russian origin meaning "rabbit" or "hare".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,138 Americans carry the last name Lapin. That puts it at #25,979 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.33 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 301,190 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lapin 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
1.1K
1 in 301,190
Census rank
#25,979
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
992
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 992 bearers of the surname Lapin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.33 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 25979th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lapin, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lapin
The surname Lapin is believed to have originated in France, with the earliest records dating back to the 11th century. It is derived from the Old French word "lapin," which means "rabbit." This suggests that the name may have been initially given as a nickname to someone who had a physical or personality trait associated with rabbits, such as being quick or timid.
The name Lapin was first documented in the Domesday Book of 1086, a survey of land ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. This indicates that the name had already made its way to England by the late 11th century, likely carried by Norman settlers after the Norman Conquest of 1066.
One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name Lapin was Guillaume Lapin, a Norman nobleman who lived in the 12th century. Another notable figure was Jean Lapin, a French knight who fought in the Hundred Years' War (1337-1453) and was recorded in the chronicles of the time.
In the 13th century, the name Lapin appeared in various spellings, including Lapyn, Lapyne, and Lapeyn, reflecting the evolving nature of surnames during that period. The name was also associated with certain place names, such as Lapinière and Lapineyre, which were derived from the French word "lapinière," meaning "rabbit warren."
During the Renaissance period, the Lapin family produced several notable figures, including François Lapin (1510-1567), a French poet and scholar, and Marie Lapin (1542-1624), a renowned herbalist and healer.
In the 17th century, a branch of the Lapin family settled in the Netherlands, where they became prominent merchants and traders. One of the most notable members of this branch was Pieter Lapin (1630-1698), a successful businessman and philanthropist who founded several charitable organizations in Amsterdam.
Throughout history, the surname Lapin has been carried by many other individuals, including Jacques Lapin (1725-1789), a French revolutionary and statesman; Charlotte Lapin (1810-1878), a British novelist and essayist; and Émile Lapin (1892-1962), a French painter and sculptor who was part of the Cubist movement.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lapin
Among Census respondents with the surname Lapin, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Lapin 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 Lapin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.3% · 896
- Hispanic or Latino4.5% · 45
- Two or more races2.4% · 24
- Black or African American1.9% · 19
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lapin
Lapin 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
#29,947
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 784
-146 bearers (-15.7%)
Per 100,000 0.27
Rank movement Down 4,906 places
2020
#25,979
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 992
+208 bearers (+26.5%)
Per 100,000 0.33
Rank movement Up 3,968 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #25,041 | 930 | 0.34 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #29,947 | 784 | 0.27 | -146 bearers (-15.7%) | Down 4,906 places |
| 2020 | #25,979 | 992 | 0.33 | +208 bearers (+26.5%) | Up 3,968 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 Lapin 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 | #29,947 | #25,979 | 13.3% |
| Count | 784 | 992 | 26.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.27 | 0.33 | 22.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lapin bearers went from 784 to 992 (+26.5% change). The surname moved up 3,968 positions in the national ranking, going from #29,947 to #25,979.
FAQ
Lapin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lapin?
Name Census estimates that about 1,138 living Americans carry the surname Lapin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 301,190 residents.
How common is Lapin?
Lapin ranks #25,979 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.33 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 992 people with the surname Lapin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,138), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.33 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.33 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 Lapin.
Has Lapin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lapin went from 784 recorded bearers to 992. That is an increase of 208 (+26.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #29,947 to #25,979.
What does the Census say about the background of Lapin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lapin, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.5%) and Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Lapin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.3% (896 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lapin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.3%), Hispanic (4.5%), Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Lapin (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 Lapin mean?
A surname of Russian origin meaning "rabbit" or "hare". 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 Lapin (0.33 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 Lapin?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.