2000
#12,553
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,264
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.84
Rare Last name
Ladue
French toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "the duke" or "the leader."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,555 Americans carry the last name Ladue. That puts it at #13,154 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.75 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 134,150 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ladue 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
2.6K
1 in 134,150
Census rank
#13,154
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,228 bearers of the surname Ladue in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.75 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13154th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ladue, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.3%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ladue
The surname LADUE is of French origin, originating in the northern regions of France during the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old French phrase "la duée," which referred to a small valley or a hollow area of land. This suggests that the name may have been initially given to someone who lived near or came from such a geographical feature.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of land ownership in England compiled in 1086 by order of William the Conqueror. The name is listed as "de la Duée," indicating that the family likely originated from a place called "la Duée" in Normandy, France.
In the 13th century, a notable bearer of the name was Sir Robert de la Duée, a prominent knight who fought in the Crusades and participated in the siege of Acre in 1191. His exploits were documented in several contemporary chronicles, solidifying the LADUE name in historical records.
Another significant figure was Jean de la Duée, a French monk and scholar who lived in the 15th century. He was renowned for his contributions to the study of theology and his work on religious texts, which were widely circulated throughout Europe during the Renaissance period.
During the 16th century, the name appeared in various forms, including "de la Dué" and "de la Dué." One notable bearer was Pierre de la Dué, a French explorer and navigator who accompanied Jacques Cartier on his voyages to Canada in the 1530s. His accounts of the New World expeditions were instrumental in shaping early European perceptions of the Americas.
In the 17th century, the LADUE surname gained prominence in the British Isles, with several families establishing themselves in England and Ireland. One notable figure was Sir Thomas Ladue, an English merchant and landowner who lived from 1620 to 1687. He was a prominent figure in the City of London and played a significant role in the development of trade and commerce during the Restoration period.
As the centuries passed, the LADUE surname continued to spread across Europe and eventually to other parts of the world through migrations and colonization. While the name has undergone various spelling variations over time, its origins can be traced back to the medieval French phrase "la duée," reflecting the family's connection to a specific geographical location in northern France.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ladue
Among Census respondents with the surname Ladue, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.3%) and Hispanic (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Ladue 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 Ladue surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.2% · 1,965
- Two or more races5.3% · 119
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 61
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.6% · 58
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 13
- Black or African American0.5% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ladue
Ladue 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
#12,941
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,374
+110 bearers (+4.9%)
Per 100,000 0.80
Rank movement Down 388 places
2020
#13,154
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,228
-146 bearers (-6.1%)
Per 100,000 0.75
Rank movement Down 213 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,553 | 2,264 | 0.84 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,941 | 2,374 | 0.80 | +110 bearers (+4.9%) | Down 388 places |
| 2020 | #13,154 | 2,228 | 0.75 | -146 bearers (-6.1%) | Down 213 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 Ladue 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 | #12,941 | #13,154 | -1.6% |
| Count | 2,374 | 2,228 | -6.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.80 | 0.75 | -6.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ladue bearers went from 2,374 to 2,228 (-6.1% change). The surname moved down 213 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,941 to #13,154.
FAQ
Ladue surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ladue?
Name Census estimates that about 2,555 living Americans carry the surname Ladue. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 134,150 residents.
How common is Ladue?
Ladue ranks #13,154 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.75 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 2,228 people with the surname Ladue. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,555), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.75 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.75 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 Ladue.
Has Ladue become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ladue went from 2,374 recorded bearers to 2,228. That is a decrease of 146 (-6.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,941 to #13,154.
What does the Census say about the background of Ladue?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ladue, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.3%) and Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Ladue in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.2% (1,965 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ladue appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.2%), Two or More Races (5.3%), Hispanic (2.7%). 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 Ladue (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 Ladue mean?
French toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "the duke" or "the leader." 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 Ladue (0.75 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 Ladue?
See how many Americans have the surname Ladue on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.