2000
#10,643
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,760
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.02
Rare Last name
Lachapelle
A French topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a chapel or church.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,082 Americans carry the last name Lachapelle. That puts it at #11,244 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.90 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 111,212 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lachapelle 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
3.1K
1 in 111,212
Census rank
#11,244
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,688 bearers of the surname Lachapelle in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.90 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11244th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lachapelle, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.5%. The next largest groups are Black (6.0%) and Hispanic (5.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lachapelle
The surname Lachapelle originated in France, appearing in records as early as the 13th century. It is derived from the French words "la chapelle," meaning "the chapel." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived near a chapel or church.
One of the earliest documented instances of the name can be found in the Livre des Bourgeois de Paris, a record of citizens in Paris from the late 13th century. The name appears as "de la Chapelle," indicating that it was likely a locative surname, referring to a specific place.
In the 14th century, variations of the name, such as "de la Chapelle" and "de Lachapelle," can be found in various French records and manuscripts, including tax rolls and property deeds. This suggests that the name had become more widespread throughout France during this period.
One notable historical figure with the surname Lachapelle was Jean de Lachapelle, a French theologian and philosopher who lived in the 15th century. He was a professor at the University of Paris and wrote several works on theology and philosophy.
Another prominent individual with this surname was Pierre Lachapelle, a French explorer and fur trader who lived in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. He was one of the first Europeans to explore parts of what is now western Canada and helped establish trade routes between French settlements and Indigenous communities.
In the 19th century, the name Lachapelle can be found in records from various regions of France, including Normandy, Brittany, and the Île-de-France region. One notable figure from this period was Augustin Lachapelle, a French obstetrician and gynecologist who lived from 1799 to 1856. He wrote several influential works on obstetrics and midwifery.
Another notable individual with the surname Lachapelle was Marie-Rose Lachapelle, a French Canadian woman who lived in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. She is known for her involvement in the Patriote movement, a rebellion against British rule in Lower Canada (now part of Quebec).
In the 20th century, one of the most well-known individuals with the surname Lachapelle was René Lachapelle, a Canadian politician and lawyer who lived from 1905 to 1986. He served as a member of the House of Commons of Canada and was a prominent figure in the Quebec Liberal Party.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lachapelle
Among Census respondents with the surname Lachapelle, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.5%. The next largest groups are Black (6.0%) and Hispanic (5.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Lachapelle 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 Lachapelle surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.5% · 2,165
- Black or African American6.0% · 162
- Hispanic or Latino5.7% · 154
- Two or more races5.4% · 145
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.3% · 36
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 26
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lachapelle
Lachapelle 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
#11,257
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,808
+48 bearers (+1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.95
Rank movement Down 614 places
2020
#11,244
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,688
-120 bearers (-4.3%)
Per 100,000 0.90
Rank movement Up 13 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,643 | 2,760 | 1.02 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,257 | 2,808 | 0.95 | +48 bearers (+1.7%) | Down 614 places |
| 2020 | #11,244 | 2,688 | 0.90 | -120 bearers (-4.3%) | Up 13 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 Lachapelle 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 | #11,257 | #11,244 | 0.1% |
| Count | 2,808 | 2,688 | -4.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.95 | 0.90 | -5.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lachapelle bearers went from 2,808 to 2,688 (-4.3% change). The surname moved up 13 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,257 to #11,244.
FAQ
Lachapelle surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lachapelle?
Name Census estimates that about 3,082 living Americans carry the surname Lachapelle. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 111,212 residents.
How common is Lachapelle?
Lachapelle ranks #11,244 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.90 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,688 people with the surname Lachapelle. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,082), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.9 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.90 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Lachapelle.
Has Lachapelle become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lachapelle went from 2,808 recorded bearers to 2,688. That is a decrease of 120 (-4.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #11,257 to #11,244.
What does the Census say about the background of Lachapelle?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lachapelle, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.5%. The next largest groups are Black (6.0%) and Hispanic (5.7%). 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 Lachapelle in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.5% (2,165 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lachapelle appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.5%), Black (6.0%), Hispanic (5.7%). 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 Lachapelle (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 Lachapelle mean?
A French topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a chapel or church. 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 Lachapelle (0.90 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 Lachapelle?
See how many people have the last name Lachapelle on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.