Lasalle
A French name derived from the word "la salle" meaning "the hall".
Name Census estimates that about 274 living Americans carry the first name Lasalle. It is a predominantly male name (96.2% of registrations). The average person named Lasalle today is around 54 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Lasalle births was 1970 (14 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Lasalle. 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.
People living today
274
~ 1 in 1,250,928 Americans
Peak year
1970
14 babies that year
Average age
54
years old
2019 SSA rank
#9,147
Tracked since 1917
Gender
Gender distribution for Lasalle
Lasalle leans heavily male at 96.2% of total registrations, but 16 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Lasalle as a male name
- Ranked #13,302 in 2019
- 5 male births in 2019
- Peak: 1970 (14 births)
Lasalle as a female name
- Ranked #9,147 in 1978
- 6 female births in 1978
- Peak: 1972 (10 births)
Popularity
Lasalle: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Lasalle from the 1910s through to the 2010s, spanning 10 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 66 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1970s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Lasalle 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 Lasalle during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Lasalles live
Origin
Meaning and history of Lasalle
The name Lasalle has its origins in the French language, tracing back to the late 17th century. It is derived from the French phrase "la salle," which translates to "the hall" or "the room." This name was likely given to individuals who lived or worked in a prominent hall or estate.
Lasalle gained prominence in France during the reign of King Louis XIV, who ruled from 1643 to 1715. During this period, the name was associated with nobility and aristocracy, as it was often bestowed upon those who held positions of authority or resided in grand manors.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Lasalle can be found in the writings of the French philosopher and mathematician René Descartes (1596-1650), who mentioned a friend named Jean de Lasalle in his correspondence.
In the realm of religion, the name Lasalle is closely tied to Saint John Baptist de la Salle (1651-1719), a French priest and educational reformer who founded the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools, a Catholic teaching order dedicated to providing free education to the poor.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Lasalle. One of the most famous was René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de Lasalle (1643-1687), a French explorer and fur trader who claimed the Mississippi River basin for France and established several settlements, including Fort Saint Louis in present-day Texas.
Another prominent figure was Antoine de Lasalle (1775-1809), a French cavalry officer who served under Napoleon Bonaparte and was renowned for his daring exploits during the Napoleonic Wars.
In the field of arts and literature, the name was carried by Émile Lasalle (1808-1875), a French painter and engraver known for his landscapes and portraits, and Lucien Lasalle (1909-2001), a French author and playwright whose works explored themes of existentialism and human relationships.
Alphonse Lasalle (1818-1881) was a French engineer and architect who designed several notable structures, including the Palais de l'Industrie for the 1855 World's Fair in Paris.
Jean de Lasalle (1598-1654) was a French Jesuit missionary and explorer who traveled to New France (present-day Canada) and established missions among the Huron and Iroquois tribes.
While the name Lasalle may have evolved and taken on different cultural connotations over time, its origins remain firmly rooted in the French language and historical traditions, reflecting a rich tapestry of nobility, exploration, religion, and artistic expression.
People
Lasalle + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Lasalle 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
Lasalle: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Lasalle?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 274 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Lasalle 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 1,250,928 US residents.
Is Lasalle a common name?
We classify Lasalle as "Very Rare". It ranks above 78.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 416 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Lasalle most popular?
The single biggest year for Lasalle was 1970, when 14 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Lasalle is about 54 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Lasalle a male name?
Yes, 96.2% of people registered as Lasalle in the SSA data are male. 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.
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.