2000
#114,166
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 142
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Lachey
A topographic surname referring to someone living near a body of water.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 178 Americans carry the last name Lachey. That puts it at #118,445 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.05 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,925,586 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lachey 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
178
1 in 1,925,586
Census rank
#118,445
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
155
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 155 bearers of the surname Lachey in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.05 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 118445th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lachey, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (1.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lachey
The surname LACHEY is of French origin, and it can be traced back to the 16th century. It is believed to have originated from the French region of Normandy, specifically from the town of Lachey, which is located in the department of Orne.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name LACHEY can be found in the 17th-century parish records of Lachey, where it is spelled as "Lacheye." It is possible that the name was derived from the Old French word "lache," meaning "lazy" or "slack," suggesting that it could have been a descriptive surname given to someone perceived as lazy or lethargic.
During the Middle Ages, the LACHEY name appeared in various records and documents, such as land deeds and tax rolls. In 1086, the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landholdings in England commissioned by William the Conqueror, mentions a person named "Radulfus de Laceio," which could be an early variant of the LACHEY surname.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname LACHEY was Jean Lachey, a prominent French merchant who lived in the 15th century. He was born in 1435 in Normandy and became a successful trader, establishing commercial ties with England and other European countries.
Another notable figure was Pierre Lachey, a French soldier who fought in the Hundred Years' War between England and France. He was born in 1412 in the town of Lachey and served under the command of Joan of Arc, participating in several important battles during the conflict.
In the 18th century, a French painter named François Lachey (1699-1768) gained recognition for his portraits and historical scenes. He was born in Paris and studied under renowned artists of the time, such as François Boucher.
Moving to the 19th century, Jean-Baptiste Lachey (1810-1886) was a French architect who designed several notable buildings in Paris, including the Church of Saint-Augustin and the Palais Garnier, which is now home to the Paris Opera.
Finally, in the early 20th century, the surname LACHEY was associated with Henri Lachey (1903-1978), a French politician and diplomat who served as the French ambassador to the United States from 1953 to 1959.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lachey
Among Census respondents with the surname Lachey, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (1.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Lachey 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 Lachey surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.5% · 145
- Two or more races3.2% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino1.3% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.3% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lachey
Lachey 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
#134,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 125
-17 bearers (-12.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 20,546 places
2020
#118,445
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 155
+30 bearers (+24.0%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 16,267 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #114,166 | 142 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #134,712 | 125 | 0.04 | -17 bearers (-12.0%) | Down 20,546 places |
| 2020 | #118,445 | 155 | 0.05 | +30 bearers (+24.0%) | Up 16,267 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 Lachey 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 | #134,712 | #118,445 | 12.1% |
| Count | 125 | 155 | 24.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.05 | 29.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lachey bearers went from 125 to 155 (+24.0% change). The surname moved up 16,267 positions in the national ranking, going from #134,712 to #118,445.
FAQ
Lachey surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lachey?
Name Census estimates that about 178 living Americans carry the surname Lachey. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,925,586 residents.
How common is Lachey?
Lachey ranks #118,445 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.05 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 155 people with the surname Lachey. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (178), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.05 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.05 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Lachey.
Has Lachey become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lachey went from 125 recorded bearers to 155. That is an increase of 30 (+24.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #134,712 to #118,445.
What does the Census say about the background of Lachey?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lachey, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (1.3%). 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 Lachey in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.5% (145 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lachey appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.5%), Two or More Races (3.2%), Hispanic (1.3%). 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 Lachey (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 Lachey mean?
A topographic surname referring to someone living near a body of water. 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 Lachey (0.05 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 many people have the surname Lachey?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.