2000
#8,633
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,506
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.30
Rare Last name
Laflamme
A French occupational surname referring to a flame-maker or metalworker who worked with fire.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,006 Americans carry the last name Laflamme. That puts it at #8,987 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.17 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 85,560 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Laflamme 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
4.0K
1 in 85,560
Census rank
#8,987
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,493 bearers of the surname Laflamme in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.17 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8987th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Laflamme, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Laflamme
The surname LAFLAMME originated in France during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the French words "la" meaning "the" and "flamme" meaning "flame," literally translating to "the flame." The name may have been given to someone who lived near a forge or had a fiery personality.
In the 12th century, the name LAFLAMME appeared in official records in the Normandy region of France. It was found in the rolls of the Norman army that invaded England in 1066 under William the Conqueror. Some early spellings included LaFlamme, La Flamme, and Laflamm.
During the 13th century, the LAFLAMME name was recorded in the Cartulaire de Notre-Dame de Paris, a collection of charters and deeds related to the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris. This suggests that the name was present in the city during that time.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the LAFLAMME surname was Renaud LAFLAMME, a French nobleman born around 1280 in Rouen, Normandy. He fought in the Hundred Years' War against the English.
In the 14th century, the name appeared in the Calendars of Wills and Administrations relating to the County of Suffolk, England, indicating that some LAFLAMME families had settled in that region.
During the 16th century, a notable figure with the LAFLAMME name was Jacques LAFLAMME, born in 1524 in Reims, France. He was a renowned painter and artist commissioned by the French royal court.
Another influential LAFLAMME was Marie LAFLAMME, born in 1678 in Paris. She was a pioneering educator and founded one of the first schools for girls in France.
In the 18th century, Louis LAFLAMME, born in 1742 in Bordeaux, France, was a respected winemaker and merchant who helped establish the region's wine industry.
During the 19th century, the name LAFLAMME gained prominence with Jean-Baptiste Éric LAFLAMME, born in 1822 in Quebec City, Canada. He was a prominent lawyer, politician, and one of the Fathers of Confederation who helped shape the formation of Canada.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Laflamme
Among Census respondents with the surname Laflamme, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Laflamme 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 Laflamme surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.9% · 3,279
- Two or more races2.9% · 102
- Hispanic or Latino2.2% · 76
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 18
- Black or African American0.3% · 11
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Laflamme
Laflamme 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
#8,875
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,689
+183 bearers (+5.2%)
Per 100,000 1.25
Rank movement Down 242 places
2020
#8,987
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,493
-196 bearers (-5.3%)
Per 100,000 1.17
Rank movement Down 112 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,633 | 3,506 | 1.30 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,875 | 3,689 | 1.25 | +183 bearers (+5.2%) | Down 242 places |
| 2020 | #8,987 | 3,493 | 1.17 | -196 bearers (-5.3%) | Down 112 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 Laflamme 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 | #8,875 | #8,987 | -1.3% |
| Count | 3,689 | 3,493 | -5.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.25 | 1.17 | -6.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Laflamme bearers went from 3,689 to 3,493 (-5.3% change). The surname moved down 112 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,875 to #8,987.
FAQ
Laflamme surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Laflamme?
Name Census estimates that about 4,006 living Americans carry the surname Laflamme. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 85,560 residents.
How common is Laflamme?
Laflamme ranks #8,987 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.17 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 3,493 people with the surname Laflamme. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,006), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.17 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.17 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 Laflamme.
Has Laflamme become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Laflamme went from 3,689 recorded bearers to 3,493. That is a decrease of 196 (-5.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,875 to #8,987.
What does the Census say about the background of Laflamme?
Among Census respondents with the surname Laflamme, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (2.2%). 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 Laflamme in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.9% (3,279 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Laflamme appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.9%), Two or More Races (2.9%), Hispanic (2.2%). 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 Laflamme (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 Laflamme mean?
A French occupational surname referring to a flame-maker or metalworker who worked with fire. 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 Laflamme (1.17 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 Laflamme?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Laflamme, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.