2000
#8,657
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,497
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.30
Rare Last name
Lafontaine
A French topographic surname referring to someone living near a spring or fountain.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,166 Americans carry the last name Lafontaine. That puts it at #8,664 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.22 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 82,274 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lafontaine 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
4.2K
1 in 82,274
Census rank
#8,664
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,633 bearers of the surname Lafontaine in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.22 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8664th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lafontaine, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (15.6%) and Two or More Races (4.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lafontaine
The surname LAFONTAINE is of French origin, derived from the French words "la" meaning "the" and "fontaine" meaning "fountain" or "spring". It is believed to have originated as a topographic name, referring to someone who lived near a natural spring or well.
The earliest recorded instances of the name LAFONTAINE can be traced back to the 12th century in France, particularly in the regions of Normandy and Brittany. It is likely that the name was initially given as a descriptive surname to distinguish individuals by their place of residence or a notable geographical feature near their dwelling.
In the Domesday Book, a census survey conducted in 1086 for William the Conqueror, there are no direct references to the surname LAFONTAINE. However, there are mentions of place names containing the word "fontaine" or "fonte," which may have been precursors to the later development of the surname.
One of the earliest documented individuals with the surname LAFONTAINE was Jean de La Fontaine, a renowned French fabulist and poet who lived from 1621 to 1695. His collection of fables, known as "Fables of La Fontaine," is considered a masterpiece of French literature and has been widely translated and enjoyed across the world.
Another notable figure with the surname LAFONTAINE was Henri Marie Lafontaine, a Belgian international lawyer and peace activist who lived from 1854 to 1943. He was a co-recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1913 for his efforts in promoting the Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague.
In the field of literature, Marcel Lafontaine (1854-1913) was a French novelist and playwright known for his works exploring social themes and the lives of working-class people in Paris.
In the world of sports, Jacques Lafontaine (born 1963) is a former professional ice hockey player from Canada who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for teams like the New York Islanders and the Buffalo Sabres.
Finally, Jean de La Fontaine (1621-1695) was a French classical era Baroque poet best known for his Fables, which are considered a masterpiece of French literature.
While the surname LAFONTAINE has French roots, it has since spread to various parts of the world, particularly to regions with French colonial influence or significant French immigration, such as Canada, the United States, and parts of Africa and the Caribbean.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lafontaine
Among Census respondents with the surname Lafontaine, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (15.6%) and Two or More Races (4.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Lafontaine 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 Lafontaine surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White73.7% · 2,679
- Hispanic or Latino15.6% · 568
- Two or more races4.9% · 177
- American Indian and Alaska Native3.8% · 137
- Black or African American1.3% · 46
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 26
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lafontaine
Lafontaine 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
#8,964
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,652
+155 bearers (+4.4%)
Per 100,000 1.24
Rank movement Down 307 places
2020
#8,664
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,633
-19 bearers (-0.5%)
Per 100,000 1.22
Rank movement Up 300 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,657 | 3,497 | 1.30 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,964 | 3,652 | 1.24 | +155 bearers (+4.4%) | Down 307 places |
| 2020 | #8,664 | 3,633 | 1.22 | -19 bearers (-0.5%) | Up 300 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 Lafontaine 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 | #8,964 | #8,664 | 3.3% |
| Count | 3,652 | 3,633 | -0.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.24 | 1.22 | -2.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lafontaine bearers went from 3,652 to 3,633 (-0.5% change). The surname moved up 300 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,964 to #8,664.
FAQ
Lafontaine surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lafontaine?
Name Census estimates that about 4,166 living Americans carry the surname Lafontaine. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 82,274 residents.
How common is Lafontaine?
Lafontaine ranks #8,664 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.22 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 3,633 people with the surname Lafontaine. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,166), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.22 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.22 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 Lafontaine.
Has Lafontaine become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lafontaine went from 3,652 recorded bearers to 3,633. That is a decrease of 19 (-0.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #8,964 to #8,664.
What does the Census say about the background of Lafontaine?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lafontaine, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (15.6%) and Two or More Races (4.9%). 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 Lafontaine in the 2020 Census, accounting for 73.7% (2,679 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lafontaine appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (73.7%), Hispanic (15.6%), Two or More Races (4.9%). 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 Lafontaine (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 Lafontaine mean?
A French topographic surname referring to someone living near a spring or fountain. 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 Lafontaine (1.22 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 Lafontaine?
Find out how many people have the surname Lafontaine on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.