2000
#5,664
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,619
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.08
Rare Last name
Lachance
A French occupational surname referring to a hunter or huntsman, derived from the Old French term "chacier" meaning "to hunt."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,231 Americans carry the last name Lachance. That puts it at #6,073 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.82 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 55,008 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lachance 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.
Bearers in the US
6.2K
1 in 55,008
Census rank
#6,073
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,434 bearers of the surname Lachance in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.82 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6073rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lachance, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lachance
The surname Lachance originated in France during the late medieval period. It derives from the Old French phrase "la chance," meaning "the chance" or "the fortune." This name was likely given as a descriptive nickname to someone perceived as fortunate or lucky.
The earliest known record of this surname dates back to the late 13th century in Normandy, where a person named Guilleaume Lachance was mentioned in the census rolls of the village of Rouen in 1289. Over the following centuries, the name spread to other regions of northern France, with variations in spelling such as Lachanse and Lachanse.
During the Renaissance, the Lachance family gained some prominence in the city of Lyon. Notable individuals from this era include the merchant Jacques Lachance (1512-1579) and the poet Pierre Lachance (1537-1612), whose works were included in anthologies of the time.
As the French colonial empire expanded, the name Lachance began appearing in records from the Americas. One of the earliest examples is Jean-Baptiste Lachance (1635-1705), a settler who arrived in Quebec, Canada, in 1665 and founded a farming community near what is now Montreal.
In the 18th century, the Lachance family had a presence in the Caribbean, with members such as the plantation owner François Lachance (1721-1793) and his son, the military officer Antoine Lachance (1756-1822), who served in the French Revolutionary Wars.
Throughout the 19th century, the name Lachance remained prominent in both France and its former colonies. Noteworthy individuals from this period include the French painter Eugène Lachance (1817-1888), the Canadian politician Joseph Lachance (1825-1901), and the Haitian writer and philosopher Anténor Lachance (1859-1932).
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lachance
Among Census respondents with the surname Lachance, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Lachance 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 Lachance surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.7% · 5,037
- Two or more races3.1% · 166
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 164
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 27
- Black or African American0.4% · 21
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 19
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lachance
Lachance 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
#5,988
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,744
+125 bearers (+2.2%)
Per 100,000 1.95
Rank movement Down 324 places
2020
#6,073
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,434
-310 bearers (-5.4%)
Per 100,000 1.82
Rank movement Down 85 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,664 | 5,619 | 2.08 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,988 | 5,744 | 1.95 | +125 bearers (+2.2%) | Down 324 places |
| 2020 | #6,073 | 5,434 | 1.82 | -310 bearers (-5.4%) | Down 85 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 Lachance 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 | #5,988 | #6,073 | -1.4% |
| Count | 5,744 | 5,434 | -5.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.95 | 1.82 | -6.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lachance bearers went from 5,744 to 5,434 (-5.4% change). The surname moved down 85 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,988 to #6,073.
FAQ
Lachance surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lachance?
Name Census estimates that about 6,231 living Americans carry the surname Lachance. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 55,008 residents.
How common is Lachance?
Lachance ranks #6,073 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.82 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,434 people with the surname Lachance. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,231), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.82 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.82 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Lachance.
Has Lachance become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lachance went from 5,744 recorded bearers to 5,434. That is a decrease of 310 (-5.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,988 to #6,073.
What does the Census say about the background of Lachance?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lachance, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (3.0%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Lachance in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.7% (5,037 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lachance appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.7%), Two or More Races (3.1%), Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Lachance (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 Lachance mean?
A French occupational surname referring to a hunter or huntsman, derived from the Old French term "chacier" meaning "to hunt." 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 Lachance (1.82 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 common is the surname Lachance?
If you just want to know how many people are called Lachance, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.