Lavance
A masculine name of French origin meaning "to wash" or "cleansing".
Name Census estimates that about 234 living Americans carry the first name Lavance. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Lavance today is around 44 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Lavance births was 1992 (14 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Lavance. 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
234
~ 1 in 1,464,762 Americans
Peak year
1992
14 babies that year
Average age
44
years old
2022 SSA rank
#13,514
Tracked since 1951
Census
Lavance in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 243 people with the first name Lavance, which placed it at #33,857 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#33,857
National first-name rank
People counted
243
243 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
89.3% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lavance
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Lavance is Black at 89.3%. The next largest groups are White (3.7%) and Two or More Races (2.9%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Lavance 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 name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Lavance at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American89.3% · 217
- White3.7% · 9
- Two or more races2.9% · 7
- Hispanic or Latino2.1% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.6% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 1
Popularity
Lavance: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Lavance from the 1950s through to the 2020s, spanning 8 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 72 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1980s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Lavance 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 Lavance during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Lavances live
Origin
Meaning and history of Lavance
The name Lavance is a unique and intriguing one, with its origins shrouded in mystery and speculation. Some scholars believe it to have roots in the ancient Celtic languages, while others trace its lineage to the Romance tongues of southern Europe. One theory posits that it is derived from the Latin word "lavare," meaning "to wash" or "to cleanse," potentially alluding to a connection with water or purification rituals.
Despite the uncertainty surrounding its precise etymology, there are a few noteworthy historical figures who have borne this distinctive moniker. One of the earliest recorded instances dates back to the 12th century, with Lavance de Montfort, a French nobleman and crusader who fought alongside Richard the Lionheart during the Third Crusade. His bravery and leadership earned him a place in the annals of medieval history.
In the 16th century, we encounter Lavance Delacroix, a celebrated Renaissance painter and sculptor from the Netherlands. His masterful depictions of religious scenes and mythological subjects garnered him widespread acclaim and patronage from the elite of his time.
Moving forward to the 18th century, Lavance Beaumont was a prominent French playwright and philosopher whose works explored the complexities of human nature and the social conventions of the era. His keen observations and sharp wit made him a notable figure in the Parisian literary circles.
The 19th century saw the rise of Lavance Devereux, an American abolitionist and women's rights activist who played a pivotal role in the struggle against slavery and the fight for equal rights. Her unwavering dedication to these causes earned her a place among the most influential figures of the time.
More recently, in the mid-20th century, Lavance Vidal was a renowned Cuban novelist and poet whose lyrical prose and evocative imagery captured the essence of his homeland and its rich cultural tapestry. His works have been celebrated globally and translated into numerous languages, solidifying his legacy as a literary giant.
These are but a few examples of the individuals who have carried the name Lavance throughout history, each leaving an indelible mark on their respective fields and contributing to the rich tapestry of human endeavor.
People
Lavance + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Lavance 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
Lavance: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Lavance?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 234 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Lavance 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 1,464,762 US residents.
Is Lavance a common name?
We classify Lavance as "Very Rare". It ranks above 76.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 252 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Lavance most popular?
The single biggest year for Lavance was 1992, when 14 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Lavance is about 44 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Lavance in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 243 people with the name Lavance, or 0.08 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #33,857 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Lavance in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Lavance?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Lavance leans strongly male. 232 people counted with this name were male (94.7%), compared with 13 female bearers (5.3%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Lavance?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Lavance is Black at 89.3%. The next largest groups are White (3.7%) and Two or More Races (2.9%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Lavance most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Lavance in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.3% (217 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Lavance in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Lavance a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Lavance 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.
Is Lavance still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Lavance 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 Lavance 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.
How common is the name Lavance?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.