2000
#8,815
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,422
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.27
Rare Last name
Laurie
A surname derived from the French name Laurier, referring to someone who lived near a laurel tree.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,473 Americans carry the last name Laurie. That puts it at #10,142 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.01 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 98,691 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Laurie 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 Laurie with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.5K
1 in 98,691
Census rank
#10,142
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,029 bearers of the surname Laurie in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.01 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10142nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Laurie, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.7%. The next largest groups are Black (6.9%) and Hispanic (4.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Laurie
The surname Laurie originated in Scotland and is derived from the ancient French given name Laurence or Laurent, which traces its roots back to the Latin name Laurentius. The name Laurentius was derived from the word "laurus," meaning laurel or bay tree.
Laurie is a habitational name, meaning it likely originated from a place name. One theory suggests it may have come from the lands of Laurie in the parish of Uttershill, near Penicuik, Midlothian, Scotland. Another possibility is that it derived from the Norman village of Laury in the department of Calvados, France.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Laurie can be found in the 13th and 14th centuries in Scotland. In the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which recorded the names of Scottish landowners who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England, the name appears as Lauri and Laurie.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Laurie was Sir Robert Laurie, who was born around 1360 and served as the Provost of Edinburgh in the late 14th century. Another notable bearer of the name was John Laurie (c. 1530-1605), a Scottish theologian and Principal of the University of St. Andrews.
In the 17th century, the surname Laurie was prominent in the Scottish Borders region. James Laurie (c. 1620-1676) was a Scottish mathematician and surveyor who produced the first accurate map of Scotland in 1663. Samuel Laurie (1628-1677) was a Scottish minister and author who wrote several religious works.
Moving into the 18th century, Reverend James Laurie (1688-1759) was a Scottish minister and author who wrote a history of the Church of Scotland. Sir Peter Laurie (1778-1861) was a Scottish lawyer and judge who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1835.
In the 19th century, James Laurie (1811-1876) was a Scottish journalist and writer who founded the Glasgow Herald newspaper. Sir John Laurie (1835-1921) was a Scottish businessman and philanthropist who became Lord Provost of Edinburgh.
These are just a few examples of the many notable individuals throughout history who have borne the surname Laurie, which has its origins in the ancient Latin name Laurentius and the French names Laurence and Laurent.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Laurie
Among Census respondents with the surname Laurie, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.7%. The next largest groups are Black (6.9%) and Hispanic (4.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Laurie 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 Laurie surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.7% · 2,534
- Black or African American6.9% · 208
- Hispanic or Latino4.5% · 136
- Two or more races3.4% · 102
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 36
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Laurie
Laurie 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
#9,234
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,526
+104 bearers (+3.0%)
Per 100,000 1.20
Rank movement Down 419 places
2020
#10,142
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,029
-497 bearers (-14.1%)
Per 100,000 1.01
Rank movement Down 908 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,815 | 3,422 | 1.27 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,234 | 3,526 | 1.20 | +104 bearers (+3.0%) | Down 419 places |
| 2020 | #10,142 | 3,029 | 1.01 | -497 bearers (-14.1%) | Down 908 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 Laurie 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 | #9,234 | #10,142 | -9.8% |
| Count | 3,526 | 3,029 | -14.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.20 | 1.01 | -15.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Laurie bearers went from 3,526 to 3,029 (-14.1% change). The surname moved down 908 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,234 to #10,142.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Laurie
FAQ
Laurie surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Laurie?
Name Census estimates that about 3,473 living Americans carry the surname Laurie. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 98,691 residents.
How common is Laurie?
Laurie ranks #10,142 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.01 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 3,029 people with the surname Laurie. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,473), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.01 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.01 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 Laurie.
Has Laurie become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Laurie went from 3,526 recorded bearers to 3,029. That is a decrease of 497 (-14.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,234 to #10,142.
What does the Census say about the background of Laurie?
Among Census respondents with the surname Laurie, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.7%. The next largest groups are Black (6.9%) and Hispanic (4.5%). 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 Laurie in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.7% (2,534 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Laurie appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.7%), Black (6.9%), Hispanic (4.5%). 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 Laurie (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 Laurie mean?
A surname derived from the French name Laurier, referring to someone who lived near a laurel tree. 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 Laurie (1.01 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 share the surname Laurie?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.