2000
#13,158
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,130
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.79
Rare Last name
Lacoste
A topographic surname derived from the Occitan language, referring to someone living near the coast or shore.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,515 Americans carry the last name Lacoste. That puts it at #13,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.73 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 136,284 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lacoste 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
2.5K
1 in 136,284
Census rank
#13,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,193 bearers of the surname Lacoste in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.73 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lacoste, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.9%. The next largest groups are Black (9.7%) and Hispanic (5.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lacoste
The surname LACOSTE has its origins in France, specifically the southern region of Languedoc. It is believed to have emerged around the 12th or 13th century, derived from the Old French term "la coste," which translates to "the hill" or "the slope." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to individuals residing on or near a hillside or sloping terrain.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the LACOSTE surname can be found in the Livre des Fiefs de la Sénéchaussée de Carcassonne, a document dating back to the 13th century. This record provides a glimpse into the presence of individuals bearing this surname in the Carcassonne region during that era.
In the 15th century, there are references to a nobleman named Jean de LACOSTE, who served as a knight and military commander during the Hundred Years' War. His contributions to the French cause were documented in various historical accounts from that period.
During the 16th century, the LACOSTE surname gained prominence in the region of Béarn, located in southwestern France. Notable figures from this era include Pierre de LACOSTE, a renowned jurist and legal scholar who served as the President of the Parliament of Navarre, born in 1530 and died in 1601.
In the 17th century, the LACOSTE family established themselves as prominent landowners and vineyard proprietors in the Languedoc region. One notable figure was Jacques de LACOSTE, born in 1620, who played a significant role in the development of the local wine industry and was highly regarded for his expertise in viticulture.
Another famous bearer of the LACOSTE surname was the French painter and engraver, Robert LACOSTE, who lived from 1741 to 1806. He was renowned for his landscape paintings and was recognized as a member of the prestigious Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture in Paris.
As the LACOSTE surname spread throughout France and beyond, it underwent various spelling variations, such as LACOSTRE, LACOUSTE, and LACOUSTÈRE, reflecting regional linguistic differences and adaptations.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lacoste
Among Census respondents with the surname Lacoste, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.9%. The next largest groups are Black (9.7%) and Hispanic (5.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Lacoste 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 Lacoste surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.9% · 1,775
- Black or African American9.7% · 212
- Hispanic or Latino5.5% · 120
- Two or more races2.8% · 61
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 13
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lacoste
Lacoste 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
#12,703
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,430
+300 bearers (+14.1%)
Per 100,000 0.82
Rank movement Up 455 places
2020
#13,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,193
-237 bearers (-9.8%)
Per 100,000 0.73
Rank movement Down 606 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,158 | 2,130 | 0.79 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,703 | 2,430 | 0.82 | +300 bearers (+14.1%) | Up 455 places |
| 2020 | #13,309 | 2,193 | 0.73 | -237 bearers (-9.8%) | Down 606 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 Lacoste 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 | #12,703 | #13,309 | -4.8% |
| Count | 2,430 | 2,193 | -9.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.82 | 0.73 | -10.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lacoste bearers went from 2,430 to 2,193 (-9.8% change). The surname moved down 606 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,703 to #13,309.
FAQ
Lacoste surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lacoste?
Name Census estimates that about 2,515 living Americans carry the surname Lacoste. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 136,284 residents.
How common is Lacoste?
Lacoste ranks #13,309 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.73 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 2,193 people with the surname Lacoste. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,515), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.73 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.73 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 Lacoste.
Has Lacoste become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lacoste went from 2,430 recorded bearers to 2,193. That is a decrease of 237 (-9.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,703 to #13,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Lacoste?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lacoste, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.9%. The next largest groups are Black (9.7%) and Hispanic (5.5%). 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 Lacoste in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.9% (1,775 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lacoste appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.9%), Black (9.7%), Hispanic (5.5%). 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 Lacoste (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 Lacoste mean?
A topographic surname derived from the Occitan language, referring to someone living near the coast or shore. 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 Lacoste (0.73 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 last name Lacoste?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the surname Lacoste on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.