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

Lafon, 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 Lafon surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Lafon in America

Lafon is the 17673rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Lafon surname appeared 1,588 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Lafon.

We can also compare 2010 data for Lafon 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.

The history of the last name Lafon

The surname LAFON has its origins in France, specifically in the regions of Nouvelle-Aquitaine and Occitanie. It is derived from the Old French word "la fon," which means "the fountain" or "the spring." This suggests that the surname was likely given to someone who lived near a natural spring or fountain.

The earliest recorded instances of the LAFON surname can be traced back to the 12th century in the Languedoc region of southern France. In medieval records, the name appears with various spellings, such as "La Font," "La Fount," and "La Fons," reflecting the phonetic variations of the time.

During the 13th century, the LAFON name is mentioned in several historical documents, including the "Livre des Fiefs" (Book of Fiefs), a record of feudal landholdings in the region. This suggests that the LAFON family may have held some noble status or land during that period.

One notable LAFON from history is Pierre Lafon (1773-1846), a French painter and engraver who was known for his portraits and historical scenes. Another is Jean-Baptiste Lafon (1776-1839), a French actor and playwright who gained fame for his performances in classical French plays.

In the 19th century, François-Marie Lafon (1810-1879) was a French Catholic priest and writer who authored several works on religious subjects. Around the same time, Édouard Lafon (1823-1908) was a French historian and archaeologist who made significant contributions to the study of ancient Iberian cultures.

Another notable LAFON was Émilie Lafon (1848-1919), a French feminist activist and writer who advocated for women's rights and education. She founded the journal "La Citoyenne" and played a prominent role in the early feminist movement in France.

While the LAFON surname has its roots in France, it has since spread to other parts of the world due to migration and diaspora. However, it remains most prevalent in its regions of origin, particularly in the southwest of France.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Lafon

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

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 Lafon was:

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 Lafon has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

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 Lafon was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

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!