2000
#5,149
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,254
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.32
Rare Last name
Lashley
An English occupational surname referring to a person who worked with slats or strips of wood.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,330 Americans carry the last name Lashley. That puts it at #5,266 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.14 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 46,760 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lashley 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 Lashley with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.3K
1 in 46,760
Census rank
#5,266
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,392 bearers of the surname Lashley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.14 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5266th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lashley, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.1%. The next largest groups are Black (26.8%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lashley
The surname Lashley is of English origin, deriving from a place name in the county of Essex, England. It is believed to have originated in the village of Latchingdon, which was recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as "Lascendene" or "Lascenduna."
The name Latchingdon itself is thought to come from the Old English words "læcce" meaning a stream or boggy area, and "dun" meaning a hill or down. Thus, the original meaning of the place name, and subsequently the surname, was likely "the hill by the boggy stream."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Lashley can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Sussex from 1230, where a William de Laschendon is mentioned. The "de" prefix indicates that he was from the place called Latchingdon, and the surname would have later evolved into its modern spelling of Lashley.
In the 14th century, there are records of a Thomas de Laschelye, who was a prominent landowner in the county of Essex. This variation in spelling, with the addition of the "-ye" ending, was common during this period.
During the 16th century, the surname Lashley began to spread beyond its Essex origins. Notable individuals from this time include John Lashley (c. 1540-1612), who was a Member of Parliament for the borough of Southwark in 1586.
In the 17th century, the Lashley surname can be found in various parts of England, with records showing individuals in counties such as Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, and Dorset. One notable figure from this era was William Lashley (c. 1615-1667), who was a prominent merchant and alderman in the city of Bristol.
As the name spread further, it also began to appear in other parts of the British Isles and beyond. In the 18th century, there are records of Lashleys in Ireland and Scotland, as well as in the American colonies.
Throughout history, the surname Lashley has been associated with various occupations and professions, from landowners and merchants to academics and artists. One notable example is the English philosopher and psychologist, Karl Spencer Lashley (1890-1958), who made significant contributions to the study of brain function and behavior.
Another notable individual with the Lashley surname was the American actress and singer, Dorothy Lashley (1902-1977), who had a successful career on Broadway and in Hollywood during the mid-20th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lashley
Among Census respondents with the surname Lashley, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.1%. The next largest groups are Black (26.8%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Lashley 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 Lashley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White64.1% · 4,100
- Black or African American26.8% · 1,710
- Two or more races4.3% · 274
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 240
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 37
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 31
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lashley
Lashley 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
#5,230
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,669
+415 bearers (+6.6%)
Per 100,000 2.26
Rank movement Down 81 places
2020
#5,266
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,392
-277 bearers (-4.2%)
Per 100,000 2.14
Rank movement Down 36 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,149 | 6,254 | 2.32 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,230 | 6,669 | 2.26 | +415 bearers (+6.6%) | Down 81 places |
| 2020 | #5,266 | 6,392 | 2.14 | -277 bearers (-4.2%) | Down 36 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 Lashley 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 | #5,230 | #5,266 | -0.7% |
| Count | 6,669 | 6,392 | -4.2% |
| Per 100K | 2.26 | 2.14 | -5.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lashley bearers went from 6,669 to 6,392 (-4.2% change). The surname moved down 36 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,230 to #5,266.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Lashley
FAQ
Lashley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lashley?
Name Census estimates that about 7,330 living Americans carry the surname Lashley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 46,760 residents.
How common is Lashley?
Lashley ranks #5,266 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.14 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,392 people with the surname Lashley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,330), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.14 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.14 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Lashley.
Has Lashley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lashley went from 6,669 recorded bearers to 6,392. That is a decrease of 277 (-4.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,230 to #5,266.
What does the Census say about the background of Lashley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lashley, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.1%. The next largest groups are Black (26.8%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Lashley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 64.1% (4,100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lashley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (64.1%), Black (26.8%), Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Lashley (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 Lashley mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a person who worked with slats or strips of wood. 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 Lashley (2.14 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 Lashley?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.