Explore the Family Name Lama
The meaning of Lama
1. Nepali and Indian: Buddhist name from Tibetan blama ‘priest, monk’. 2. Spanish, Galician, Portuguese, and Italian: topographic name for someone who lived by a marsh, lama (from Latin lama), or a habitational name from any of numerous places called with this word. 3. Albanian: from Lamë (definite form Lama), a short form of the Muslim personal name Islam. 4. Albanian: nickname from lamë (definite form lama), a northern variant of lëmë ‘bag under the eyes’. Some characteristic forenames: Spanish Carlos, Miguel, Jacobo, Jose Luis, Luis, Mario, Aleida, Beatriz, Catalina, Eduardo, Francisca, Gustavo. Italian Luciano, Aldo, Antonio, Elio, Ezio, Guido, Nunzio, Salvatore. Indian Amar, Basant, Hemant, Rakesh, Shyam, Sujay, Uday.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Lama in the United States?
The surname Lama has seen a notable rise in popularity in the United States based on data from the Decennial U.S. Census. In 2000, this surname was ranked as the 15,299th most popular and by 2010 it had jumped to the 10,782nd spot, reflecting a change of approximately 30%. This significant increase correlates with the growth in count from 1,763 instances of the surname in 2000 to 2,958 in 2010, marking an impressive 68% upturn. Furthermore, the proportion of individuals carrying the Lama surname per 100,000 people also rose from 0.65 to 1.0 between 2000 and 2010.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #15,299 | #10,782 | 29.52% |
| Count | 1,763 | 2,958 | 67.78% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.65 | 1 | 53.85% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Lama
In terms of ethnic identity, the Decennial U.S. Census data reveals interesting shifts within those who carry the surname Lama. The Asian/Pacific Islander group saw the greatest increase, from 33.47% in 2000 to 56.69% in 2010, a change of roughly 70%. However, some ethnicities experienced decreases. The percentage of Lamas identifying as White dropped by 38.21%, while those identifying as Two or more races plummeted by 71.63%. The Hispanic group witnessed a slight decline of 13.21%, and those identifying as Black decreased by 31.37%. Lastly, the American Indian and Alaskan Native group made a small appearance in 2010 with 0.17% after being absent in the 2000 census data.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 33.47% | 56.69% | 69.38% |
| White | 40.33% | 24.92% | -38.21% |
| Hispanic | 17.41% | 15.11% | -13.21% |
| Two or More Races | 7.26% | 2.06% | -71.63% |
| Black | 1.53% | 1.05% | -31.37% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0% | 0.17% | 0% |