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

Lafont, 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 Lafont surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Lafont in America

Lafont is the 31960th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Lafont surname appeared 722 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Lafont.

We can also compare 2010 data for Lafont 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 Lafont

The surname LAFONT originated in France during the late medieval period. It is derived from the Old French words "la" meaning "the" and "font" meaning "spring" or "fountain". The name likely referred to someone who lived near a natural spring or well.

The earliest known record of the LAFONT surname dates back to the 13th century in the region of Languedoc in southern France. It appears in various medieval documents and records from towns like Montpellier and Nîmes. Similar spellings from that era include Lafonte, Laffont, and Deffont.

One notable early bearer of the LAFONT name was Guillaume Lafont, a merchant from Toulouse born around 1325. He is mentioned in local tax records as owning several properties and businesses in the city.

In the 15th century, the LAFONT surname spread to other parts of France, particularly the Île-de-France region around Paris. A branch of the family settled in the village of Gressy-en-France, which became known as Gressy-la-Font due to their presence.

During the Renaissance, a famous artist named Nicolas Lafont (1510-1579) was born in the town of Avignon. He became a renowned painter and sculptor, with some of his works still preserved in churches and museums across southern France.

Another notable LAFONT was Jacques Lafont (1661-1743), a Jesuit priest and explorer from Lyon. He traveled to Canada in the early 18th century and helped establish several missions among Native American tribes in the Great Lakes region.

In the 19th century, a French general named Joseph Lafont (1801-1867) served in the Napoleonic Wars and later became a diplomat. He represented France in various European capitals and was also briefly the French ambassador to the United States.

Throughout its history, the LAFONT surname has been borne by many other individuals of note, including writers, musicians, and politicians across multiple countries. Its origins, however, can be firmly traced back to medieval France and the descriptive meaning of "the spring" or "the fountain".

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Lafont

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

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

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

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