2000
#19,007
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,326
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.49
Rare Last name
Laury
A surname derived from the French laurier, meaning laurel or bay tree.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,564 Americans carry the last name Laury. That puts it at #19,770 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.46 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 219,152 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Laury 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 Laury with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
1.6K
1 in 219,152
Census rank
#19,770
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,364 bearers of the surname Laury in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.46 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 19770th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Laury, the largest self-reported group is Black at 57.6%. The next largest groups are White (33.6%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Laury
The surname Laury is believed to have originated in France during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old French word "laurier," which means "laurel tree." The laurel tree was a symbol of victory and honor in ancient Greek and Roman civilizations, and it is likely that the name was initially given as a surname to individuals who lived near a laurel grove or worked with laurel leaves.
The earliest known record of the name Laury can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of land ownership in England conducted in 1086 by order of William the Conqueror. The name appears as "de Laurei," referring to a family from a place called Laurey or Laury.
During the Middle Ages, the name Laury was primarily concentrated in the regions of Normandy and Brittany in France. Some variations of the spelling included Laurie, Laurie, and Laurey. These variations likely arose due to regional dialects and the inconsistent spelling conventions of the time.
One notable individual with the surname Laury was Jean-Baptiste Laury, a French sculptor who lived from 1693 to 1756. He was known for his intricate wood carvings and his work can be seen in several churches and cathedrals throughout France.
Another prominent figure was Pierre Laury, a French politician and lawyer who lived from 1767 to 1834. He served as a member of the National Convention during the French Revolution and played a significant role in the drafting of the Civil Code of 1804, also known as the Napoleonic Code.
In England, one of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Laury was William de Laury, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1203. The Pipe Rolls were financial records kept by the English Exchequer during the medieval period.
During the 16th century, the name Laury appeared in the records of the town of Stratford-upon-Avon, the birthplace of William Shakespeare. One notable individual from this time was John Laury, a landowner and farmer who lived from 1543 to 1612.
In the 18th century, a prominent figure with the surname Laury was Thomas Laury, an English poet and playwright who lived from 1758 to 1838. He was known for his satirical works and his critiques of contemporary society.
While the surname Laury is not as common today as it once was, it has a rich history spanning several centuries and multiple countries. Its origins can be traced back to the medieval period in France, and it has been associated with individuals from various walks of life, including artists, politicians, and landowners.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Laury
Among Census respondents with the surname Laury, the largest self-reported group is Black at 57.6%. The next largest groups are White (33.6%) and Two or More Races (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Laury 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 Laury surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American57.6% · 786
- White33.6% · 458
- Two or more races4.7% · 64
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 39
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 16
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Laury
Laury 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
#19,614
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,375
+49 bearers (+3.7%)
Per 100,000 0.47
Rank movement Down 607 places
2020
#19,770
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,364
-11 bearers (-0.8%)
Per 100,000 0.46
Rank movement Down 156 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #19,007 | 1,326 | 0.49 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #19,614 | 1,375 | 0.47 | +49 bearers (+3.7%) | Down 607 places |
| 2020 | #19,770 | 1,364 | 0.46 | -11 bearers (-0.8%) | Down 156 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 Laury 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 | #19,614 | #19,770 | -0.8% |
| Count | 1,375 | 1,364 | -0.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.47 | 0.46 | -2.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Laury bearers went from 1,375 to 1,364 (-0.8% change). The surname moved down 156 positions in the national ranking, going from #19,614 to #19,770.
FAQ
Laury surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Laury?
Name Census estimates that about 1,564 living Americans carry the surname Laury. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 219,152 residents.
How common is Laury?
Laury ranks #19,770 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.46 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 1,364 people with the surname Laury. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,564), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.46 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.46 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 Laury.
Has Laury become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Laury went from 1,375 recorded bearers to 1,364. That is a decrease of 11 (-0.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #19,614 to #19,770.
What does the Census say about the background of Laury?
Among Census respondents with the surname Laury, the largest self-reported group is Black at 57.6%. The next largest groups are White (33.6%) and Two or More Races (4.7%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Laury in the 2020 Census, accounting for 57.6% (786 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Laury appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (57.6%), White (33.6%), Two or More Races (4.7%). 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 Laury (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 Laury mean?
A surname derived from the French laurier, meaning laurel or bay 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 Laury (0.46 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 Laury?
For a quick modern take, check how common the surname Laury is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.