2000
#57,985
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 328
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.12
Very Rare Last name
Launder
A surname of Norman origin referring to someone who laundered or washed clothes professionally.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 355 Americans carry the last name Launder. That puts it at #68,391 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.10 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 965,505 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Launder 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 Launder with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
355
1 in 965,505
Census rank
#68,391
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
310
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 310 bearers of the surname Launder in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.10 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 68391st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Launder, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.2%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Launder
The surname Launder is of English origin, deriving from the Old French word 'lavandier,' which means 'washer' or 'launderer.' It emerged in the Middle Ages as an occupational surname, referring to individuals who worked as launderers or washers of clothes and linens.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Launder can be traced back to the 13th century in various regions of England. One notable early reference is found in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire from 1273, where the name appears as 'Lavendur.'
In the 14th century, the surname was sometimes spelled 'Lavender' or 'Lavendar,' reflecting the Old French origin. This variant spelling can be seen in records such as the Yorkshire Poll Tax Returns of 1379, where a 'Johannes Lavendar' is listed.
The Launder surname is also linked to certain place names in England, such as Launder Abbey in Buckinghamshire, which was founded in the 12th century. It is possible that some individuals adopted the surname based on their association with this location or similar places.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Launder was John Launder, who was born in Gloucestershire, England, around 1490. He was a prominent merchant and landowner in the region.
Another notable bearer of the Launder surname was Sir Thomas Launder (1535-1614), an English politician and member of Parliament during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
In the 17th century, the name appeared in various parish records across England, such as the baptism of Elizabeth Launder in St. Dunstan's, Stepney, London, in 1635.
William Launder (1640-1705) was a respected English clergyman and author who served as the Rector of Wotton-under-Edge in Gloucestershire.
Mary Launder (1710-1792) was a renowned English poet and writer from Bath, whose works were widely published and acclaimed in her lifetime.
As the centuries progressed, the Launder surname continued to be found in various parts of England, with some bearers achieving notable positions in society, such as Richard Launder (1820-1898), a successful businessman and philanthropist from Oxfordshire.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Launder
Among Census respondents with the surname Launder, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.2%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Launder 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 Launder surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.0% · 282
- Two or more races5.2% · 16
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 11
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Launder
Launder 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
#59,470
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 340
+12 bearers (+3.7%)
Per 100,000 0.12
Rank movement Down 1,485 places
2020
#68,391
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 310
-30 bearers (-8.8%)
Per 100,000 0.10
Rank movement Down 8,921 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #57,985 | 328 | 0.12 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #59,470 | 340 | 0.12 | +12 bearers (+3.7%) | Down 1,485 places |
| 2020 | #68,391 | 310 | 0.10 | -30 bearers (-8.8%) | Down 8,921 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 Launder 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 | #59,470 | #68,391 | -15.0% |
| Count | 340 | 310 | -8.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.12 | 0.10 | -13.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Launder bearers went from 340 to 310 (-8.8% change). The surname moved down 8,921 positions in the national ranking, going from #59,470 to #68,391.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Launder
FAQ
Launder surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Launder?
Name Census estimates that about 355 living Americans carry the surname Launder. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 965,505 residents.
How common is Launder?
Launder ranks #68,391 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.10 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 310 people with the surname Launder. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (355), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.1 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.10 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 Launder.
Has Launder become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Launder went from 340 recorded bearers to 310. That is a decrease of 30 (-8.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #59,470 to #68,391.
What does the Census say about the background of Launder?
Among Census respondents with the surname Launder, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.2%) and Hispanic (3.5%). 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 Launder in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.0% (282 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Launder appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.0%), Two or More Races (5.2%), Hispanic (3.5%). 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 Launder (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 Launder mean?
A surname of Norman origin referring to someone who laundered or washed clothes professionally. 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 Launder (0.10 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 Launder?
Want to know how many people have the last name Launder? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.