2010
#148,347
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Lafeber
A Dutch surname meaning "the fever" or possibly referring to someone with a fever.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139 Americans carry the last name Lafeber. That puts it at #141,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,465,859 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lafeber 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
139
1 in 2,465,859
Census rank
#141,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
121
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 121 bearers of the surname Lafeber in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 141309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lafeber, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.8%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lafeber
The surname LAFEBER originated in the Netherlands during the Middle Ages. It is believed to have derived from the Dutch word "lafe," which means "leftovers" or "remnants," and the word "ber," meaning "bear." This combination suggests the name was initially given to someone who scavenged for food scraps or leftovers, perhaps to feed bears or other animals.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name LAFEBER can be found in the records of the city of Utrecht in the late 13th century. A man named Wouter LAFEBER was mentioned as a resident of the city in 1287. The name also appeared in the municipal records of Amsterdam in the early 15th century, where a Willem LAFEBER was listed as a merchant in 1412.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the LAFEBER name began to spread throughout the Netherlands and neighboring regions. In 1534, a farmer named Dirk LAFEBER was recorded in the village of Gouda, and a merchant named Pieter LAFEBER was documented in the city of Antwerp in 1612.
One notable individual with the surname LAFEBER was Jan LAFEBER (1585-1652), a Dutch Golden Age painter known for his landscape and genre scenes. His works can be found in several museums across the Netherlands and Belgium.
Another prominent figure was Cornelis LAFEBER (1767-1839), a Dutch politician and statesman who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs for the Kingdom of the Netherlands from 1829 to 1839.
In the 19th century, the LAFEBER name gained recognition with the birth of Adriaan LAFEBER (1818-1892), a Dutch botanist and horticulturist who made significant contributions to the study of plant taxonomy and cultivation techniques.
The name also crossed the Atlantic Ocean, with Jacob LAFEBER (1845-1921), a Dutch-American businessman and philanthropist, who founded the LAFEBER Company, a successful manufacturer of animal feeds and supplements in the United States.
Lastly, Hendrik LAFEBER (1905-1983) was a Dutch diplomat and author who served as the Netherlands' ambassador to several countries, including the United States, and wrote extensively on international affairs and diplomacy.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals throughout history who carried the surname LAFEBER, which has its roots in the Netherlands and a unique origin related to the scavenging of food remnants, possibly to feed bears or other animals.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lafeber
Among Census respondents with the surname Lafeber, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.8%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Lafeber 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 Lafeber surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.6% · 106
- Hispanic or Latino5.8% · 7
- Two or more races4.1% · 5
- Black or African American1.7% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lafeber
Lafeber appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#141,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
+10 bearers (+9.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 7,038 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #148,347 | 111 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #141,309 | 121 | 0.04 | +10 bearers (+9.0%) | Up 7,038 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 Lafeber 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 | #148,347 | #141,309 | 4.7% |
| Count | 111 | 121 | 9.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 1.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lafeber bearers went from 111 to 121 (+9.0% change). The surname moved up 7,038 positions in the national ranking, going from #148,347 to #141,309.
FAQ
Lafeber surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lafeber?
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the surname Lafeber. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,465,859 residents.
How common is Lafeber?
Lafeber ranks #141,309 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 121 people with the surname Lafeber. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (139), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Lafeber.
Has Lafeber become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lafeber went from 111 recorded bearers to 121. That is an increase of 10 (+9.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #148,347 to #141,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Lafeber?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lafeber, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.8%) and Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Lafeber in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.6% (106 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lafeber appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.6%), Hispanic (5.8%), Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Lafeber (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 Lafeber mean?
A Dutch surname meaning "the fever" or possibly referring to someone with a fever. 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 Lafeber (0.04 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 Lafeber?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Lafeber is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.