2000
#8,386
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,624
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.34
Rare Last name
Lafave
A French occupational surname referring to a bean grower or seller.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,215 Americans carry the last name Lafave. That puts it at #8,583 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.23 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 81,318 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lafave 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
4.2K
1 in 81,318
Census rank
#8,583
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,676 bearers of the surname Lafave in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.23 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8583rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lafave, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lafave
The surname LAFAVE has its origins in France, dating back to the 16th century. It is derived from the French word "fève," meaning bean or broad bean. The name was likely initially given as a nickname to someone who cultivated or traded in beans.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the records of the province of Normandy, where it was spelled in various forms, such as Lafave, Lafève, and Lafave. These variations were common due to the inconsistencies in spelling and record-keeping during that time.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Jean Lafave, born in Rouen, Normandy, in 1587. He was a farmer and is mentioned in several local land records from the early 17th century.
In the late 17th century, the name began to appear in the records of the French colony of Acadia, which is now part of eastern Canada. This was likely due to the migration of French settlers from Normandy and other parts of France to the New World.
A notable figure with this surname was Pierre Lafave, born in Port-Royal, Acadia, in 1692. He was a prominent merchant and landowner in the colony and played a role in the Acadian resistance against British rule during the French and Indian War.
During the Great Expulsion of the Acadians in 1755, many families with the LAFAVE surname were deported from Acadia and dispersed throughout the British colonies in North America. Some eventually settled in regions such as Louisiana, where the name would later become more prevalent.
Another significant individual was François Lafave, born in 1776 in Opelousas, Louisiana. He was a military officer who served in the War of 1812 and later became a prominent landowner and politician in the state.
In the 19th century, the name LAFAVE started to spread to other parts of the United States and Canada as families migrated westward. One notable figure from this period was Marie Lafave, born in 1845 in St. Boniface, Manitoba. She was a renowned Métis midwife and traditional healer who played a vital role in the community.
Throughout its history, the surname LAFAVE has maintained its French origins and has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, from farmers and merchants to military officers and community leaders.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lafave
Among Census respondents with the surname Lafave, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Lafave 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 Lafave surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.6% · 3,292
- Two or more races4.2% · 156
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 118
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.1% · 77
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 18
- Black or African American0.4% · 15
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lafave
Lafave 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
#8,558
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,849
+225 bearers (+6.2%)
Per 100,000 1.30
Rank movement Down 172 places
2020
#8,583
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,676
-173 bearers (-4.5%)
Per 100,000 1.23
Rank movement Down 25 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,386 | 3,624 | 1.34 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,558 | 3,849 | 1.30 | +225 bearers (+6.2%) | Down 172 places |
| 2020 | #8,583 | 3,676 | 1.23 | -173 bearers (-4.5%) | Down 25 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 Lafave 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 | #8,558 | #8,583 | -0.3% |
| Count | 3,849 | 3,676 | -4.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.30 | 1.23 | -5.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lafave bearers went from 3,849 to 3,676 (-4.5% change). The surname moved down 25 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,558 to #8,583.
FAQ
Lafave surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lafave?
Name Census estimates that about 4,215 living Americans carry the surname Lafave. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 81,318 residents.
How common is Lafave?
Lafave ranks #8,583 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.23 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 3,676 people with the surname Lafave. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,215), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.23 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.23 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 Lafave.
Has Lafave become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lafave went from 3,849 recorded bearers to 3,676. That is a decrease of 173 (-4.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,558 to #8,583.
What does the Census say about the background of Lafave?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lafave, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (3.2%). 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 Lafave in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.6% (3,292 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lafave appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.6%), Two or More Races (4.2%), Hispanic (3.2%). 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 Lafave (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 Lafave mean?
A French occupational surname referring to a bean grower or seller. 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 Lafave (1.23 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 are called Lafave?
Want to know how many people have the surname Lafave? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.