Lafaire last name popularity, history, and meaning

Find out how popular the last name Lafaire is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Lafaire.

Meaning of Lafaire

A French surname indicating a maker or seller of goods.

Lafaire, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Lafaire surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Lafaire in America

Lafaire is the 148347th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Lafaire surname appeared 111 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Lafaire.

We can also compare 2010 data for Lafaire to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 148347 150436 -1.40%
Count 111 100 10.43%
Proportion per 100k 0.04 0.04 0.00%

The history of the last name Lafaire

The surname LAFAIRE has its origins in France, dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the French phrase "la faire," which translates to "the doing" or "the making." This suggests that the name may have been initially assigned to individuals who were involved in various trades or occupations.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the LAFAIRE surname can be found in the records of the Departement de la Marne, located in the Grand Est region of northeastern France. In 1587, a merchant named Jacques LAFAIRE was mentioned in a legal document regarding the sale of textile goods.

As the name spread across different regions of France, it underwent slight variations in spelling, such as LAFERE, LAFERE, and LAFAIR. These variations were likely due to the influence of local dialects and the inconsistencies in record-keeping during that era.

In the 17th century, the LAFAIRE name appeared in various historical documents, including parish records and tax rolls. One notable individual was Pierre LAFAIRE, a vintner from the village of Burgundy, who was born in 1641 and lived until 1712.

During the 18th century, the LAFAIRE surname gained prominence in the city of Paris. Jean-Baptiste LAFAIRE, a renowned clockmaker, was born in 1723 and is credited with creating intricate timepieces that became highly sought after by the French nobility.

The 19th century saw the LAFAIRE name expand beyond the borders of France. In 1832, a merchant named Charles LAFAIRE immigrated to the United States and settled in New Orleans, where he established a successful import-export business.

Another notable figure was Marie LAFAIRE, a French writer and activist born in 1856. She was a vocal advocate for women's rights and published several essays and novels that challenged societal norms of the time.

As the LAFAIRE name continued to spread, it became associated with various locations and place names. For example, the village of Lafaire-sur-Loire in central France took its name from the LAFAIRE family who had settled in the area during the 17th century.

While the LAFAIRE surname has its roots in France, it has since been adopted by individuals from various backgrounds and cultures, further enriching its historical significance and global reach.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Lafaire

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Lafaire.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

  1. White only
  2. Black only
  3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
  4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
  5. Hispanic
  6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Lafaire was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 88.29% 98
Non-Hispanic Black Only 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 0.00% 0
Hispanic Origin 11.71% 13

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Lafaire has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 88.29% 85.00% 3.80%
Black 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% (S)% (S)%
Two or More Races 0.00% (S)% (S)%
Hispanic 11.71% 9.00% 26.17%

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Lafaire was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Lafaire, please contact us.

Reference this page

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If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

"Lafaire last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on August 2, 2025. http://namecensus.com/last-names/lafaire-surname-popularity/.

"Lafaire last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/lafaire-surname-popularity/. Accessed 2 August, 2025

Lafaire last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/lafaire-surname-popularity/.

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