2000
#15,217
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,775
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.66
Rare Last name
Laurel
An English surname derived from the laurel tree, a symbol of victory and distinction.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,167 Americans carry the last name Laurel. That puts it at #15,010 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.63 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 158,170 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Laurel 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
2.2K
1 in 158,170
Census rank
#15,010
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,890 bearers of the surname Laurel in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.63 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15010th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Laurel, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 50.1%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (19.7%) and White (17.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Laurel
The surname Laurel originated in Spain, specifically in the region of Andalusia, during the medieval period. It is derived from the Spanish word "laurel," which means "laurel tree" or "bay tree." This word traces its roots back to the Latin word "laurus," referring to the same plant.
Laurel was initially used as a descriptive name, likely given to someone who lived near a laurel tree or grove, or someone associated with the laurel plant in some way. The earliest recorded instances of the surname Laurel date back to the 13th century in Spanish records and documents.
In the 14th century, the name Laurel appeared in the historic "Libro de la Montería" (Book of the Hunt), a medieval hunting treatise compiled during the reign of King Alfonso XI of Castile (1312-1350). This suggests that individuals bearing this surname may have been involved in hunting or forestry activities during that time.
One notable early bearer of the Laurel surname was Juan de Laurel, a Spanish conquistador who participated in the conquest of Mexico alongside Hernán Cortés in the early 16th century. He was born around 1490 and played a significant role in the Spanish colonization of the Americas.
In the 17th century, the Laurel surname spread beyond Spain to other parts of Europe and the Americas. Diego de Laurel, a Spanish soldier and explorer, accompanied Pedro Menéndez de Avilés to Florida in 1565 and helped establish the settlement of St. Augustine, the oldest continuously occupied European settlement in the continental United States.
Another prominent figure was Juan Bautista Laurel, a Spanish military engineer and architect born in 1670. He designed several fortifications and military structures in Spain and its overseas territories, including the Castle of San Marcos in St. Augustine, Florida.
As the Laurel surname spread across the world, it took on various spellings and variations, such as Laurell, Lorel, and Laurel, reflecting local linguistic influences and adaptations.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Laurel
Among Census respondents with the surname Laurel, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 50.1%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (19.7%) and White (17.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Laurel 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 Laurel surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino50.1% · 946
- Asian and Pacific Islander19.7% · 373
- White17.9% · 338
- Black or African American8.3% · 157
- Two or more races3.6% · 68
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Laurel
Laurel 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
#14,920
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,984
+209 bearers (+11.8%)
Per 100,000 0.67
Rank movement Up 297 places
2020
#15,010
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,890
-94 bearers (-4.7%)
Per 100,000 0.63
Rank movement Down 90 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #15,217 | 1,775 | 0.66 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,920 | 1,984 | 0.67 | +209 bearers (+11.8%) | Up 297 places |
| 2020 | #15,010 | 1,890 | 0.63 | -94 bearers (-4.7%) | Down 90 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 Laurel 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 | #14,920 | #15,010 | -0.6% |
| Count | 1,984 | 1,890 | -4.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.67 | 0.63 | -5.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Laurel bearers went from 1,984 to 1,890 (-4.7% change). The surname moved down 90 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,920 to #15,010.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Laurel
FAQ
Laurel surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Laurel?
Name Census estimates that about 2,167 living Americans carry the surname Laurel. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 158,170 residents.
How common is Laurel?
Laurel ranks #15,010 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.63 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 1,890 people with the surname Laurel. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,167), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.63 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.63 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 Laurel.
Has Laurel become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Laurel went from 1,984 recorded bearers to 1,890. That is a decrease of 94 (-4.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,920 to #15,010.
What does the Census say about the background of Laurel?
Among Census respondents with the surname Laurel, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 50.1%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (19.7%) and White (17.9%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Laurel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 50.1% (946 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Laurel appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (50.1%), Asian/Pacific Islander (19.7%), White (17.9%). 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 Laurel (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 Laurel mean?
An English surname derived from the laurel tree, a symbol of victory and distinction. 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 Laurel (0.63 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 last name Laurel?
Find out how many people have the last name Laurel on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.