2000
#3,683
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,852
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.28
Uncommon Last name
Lafleur
A French occupational surname referring to a person who grew or sold flowers.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 10,809 Americans carry the last name Lafleur. That puts it at #3,669 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.15 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 31,710 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lafleur 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
11K
1 in 31,710
Census rank
#3,669
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
9.4K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 9,426 bearers of the surname Lafleur in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.15 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3669th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lafleur, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.4%. The next largest groups are Black (17.8%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lafleur
The surname LAFLEUR originated in France and is a French name. It is derived from the French words 'la' meaning 'the' and 'fleur' meaning 'flower'. The name likely originated as a descriptive surname referring to someone who lived near a flower or worked with flowers.
The earliest recorded examples of the LAFLEUR surname date back to the 12th century in regions of northern France. Some of the earliest spellings of the name included LaFlour, Lafloure, and La Fleur. The name is also found in old records from the Normandy region of France.
One of the earliest known bearers of the LAFLEUR name was Guillaume LaFleur, a French farmer who lived in the village of Rouen in the late 12th century. Another early record is of Jean LaFleur, a merchant from Paris who was mentioned in tax records from the year 1327.
The LAFLEUR name spread throughout France in the following centuries. During the 16th century, the name is recorded in the village of Sancerre in the Loire Valley region. Jacques LAFLEUR, a winemaker from Sancerre, was born around 1550.
As the name became more widespread, it was also adopted by several notable individuals throughout history. One famous bearer was André LAFLEUR, a French botanist and horticulturist who lived from 1798 to 1862. He is known for his work in cultivating new varieties of roses and other flowers.
Another well-known LAFLEUR was Edmée Elizabeth Monica LAFLEUR, a French feminist and writer who lived from 1865 to 1943. She was a vocal advocate for women's rights and published several influential works on the subject.
In the 20th century, Jacques LAFLEUR was a prominent French politician and member of the National Assembly, serving from 1946 to 1958. He was also a decorated World War II veteran.
The LAFLEUR surname can also be found in other parts of Europe, particularly in Belgium and Switzerland, likely due to migration from France over the centuries. However, its origins and earliest recorded examples are firmly rooted in various regions of France.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lafleur
Among Census respondents with the surname Lafleur, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.4%. The next largest groups are Black (17.8%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Lafleur 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 Lafleur surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White75.4% · 7,107
- Black or African American17.8% · 1,679
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 285
- Two or more races3.0% · 285
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 39
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 31
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lafleur
Lafleur 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
#3,755
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,430
+578 bearers (+6.5%)
Per 100,000 3.20
Rank movement Down 72 places
2020
#3,669
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,426
-4 bearers (-0.0%)
Per 100,000 3.15
Rank movement Up 86 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,683 | 8,852 | 3.28 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,755 | 9,430 | 3.20 | +578 bearers (+6.5%) | Down 72 places |
| 2020 | #3,669 | 9,426 | 3.15 | -4 bearers (-0.0%) | Up 86 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 Lafleur 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 | #3,755 | #3,669 | 2.3% |
| Count | 9,430 | 9,426 | -0.0% |
| Per 100K | 3.20 | 3.15 | -1.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lafleur bearers went from 9,430 to 9,426 (+-0.0% change). The surname moved up 86 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,755 to #3,669.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Lafleur
FAQ
Lafleur surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lafleur?
Name Census estimates that about 10,809 living Americans carry the surname Lafleur. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 31,710 residents.
How common is Lafleur?
Lafleur ranks #3,669 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.15 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 9,426 people with the surname Lafleur. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (10,809), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.15 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.15 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Lafleur.
Has Lafleur become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lafleur went from 9,430 recorded bearers to 9,426. That is a decrease of 4 (-0.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #3,755 to #3,669.
What does the Census say about the background of Lafleur?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lafleur, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.4%. The next largest groups are Black (17.8%) and Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Lafleur in the 2020 Census, accounting for 75.4% (7,107 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lafleur appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (75.4%), Black (17.8%), Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Lafleur (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 Lafleur mean?
A French occupational surname referring to a person who grew or sold flowers. 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 Lafleur (3.15 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 Lafleur?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Lafleur? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.