Lafrances
Of French origin meaning "the Frenchman".
Name Census estimates that about 23 living Americans carry the first name Lafrances. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Lafrances today is around 62 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Lafrances births was 1966 (8 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Lafrances. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Lafrances. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
23
~ 1 in 14,902,363 Americans
Peak year
1966
8 babies that year
Average age
62
years old
1974 SSA rank
#9,458
Tracked since 1925
Popularity
Lafrances: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Lafrances from the 1920s through to the 1970s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1960s, with 18 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1960s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Lafrances by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Lafrances during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Lafrances
The name Lafrances has its origins in the French language and culture, with roots dating back to the medieval period. It is believed to be a combination of two Old French words, "la" meaning "the" and "france" referring to the country of France.
One theory suggests that the name was originally a descriptive surname given to individuals who hailed from France or had strong associations with the French region. Over time, it transitioned into a given name, particularly popular among French-speaking communities.
Some historians trace the earliest recorded instances of the name Lafrances to ancient French texts and manuscripts from the 13th and 14th centuries. However, its usage as a first name was relatively rare during this period, primarily serving as a surname or a place-based identifier.
As the name gained popularity, it began to appear in various historical records and documents. One notable figure bearing the name Lafrances was a French nobleman and military commander who lived during the 15th century. Although the exact details of his life are obscure, he is mentioned in several chronicles documenting the battles and conflicts of that era.
In the 16th century, a prominent French philosopher and scholar named Lafrances de Montaigne was born in 1533. His works, which explored philosophical concepts and questioned societal norms, had a significant impact on the intellectual landscape of the time.
Moving forward to the 18th century, Lafrances Boucher was a renowned French painter who specialized in portraiture and mythological scenes. Born in 1703, his artworks are now housed in prestigious galleries and museums across Europe.
Another historical figure bearing the name Lafrances was a French Revolutionary activist and writer, Lafrances Desmoulins, who lived from 1760 to 1794. He played a pivotal role in the early stages of the French Revolution, advocating for social and political reforms through his writings and speeches.
In the 19th century, Lafrances Braille, born in 1809, was a French educator and inventor who developed a revolutionary system of reading and writing for the blind, now known as Braille. His groundbreaking work transformed the lives of countless individuals with visual impairments, enabling them to access education and literature.
These are just a few examples of individuals who bore the name Lafrances throughout history, each leaving their mark in various fields and contributing to the richness of the name's legacy.
People
Lafrances + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Lafrances as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with L
Other first names starting with L with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Lafrances: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Lafrances?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 23 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Lafrances going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 14,902,363 US residents.
Is Lafrances a common name?
We classify Lafrances as "Very Rare". It ranks above 42.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 34 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Lafrances most popular?
The single biggest year for Lafrances was 1966, when 8 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Lafrances is about 62 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Lafrances in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Lafrances a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Lafrances in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Lafrances still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Lafrances in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Lafrances can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people share the name Lafrances?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans are named Lafrances on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.