2000
#17,186
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,520
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.56
Rare Last name
Laforce
A surname of French origin meaning "the strong one" or "the powerful one".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,680 Americans carry the last name Laforce. That puts it at #18,606 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.49 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 204,020 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Laforce 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
1.7K
1 in 204,020
Census rank
#18,606
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,465 bearers of the surname Laforce in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.49 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 18606th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Laforce, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.6%. The next largest groups are Black (6.6%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Laforce
The surname LAFORCE originated in France during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old French phrase "la force," which translates to "the force" or "the strength." This name likely originated as a descriptive nickname for someone who exhibited exceptional physical prowess or strength.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname LAFORCE can be found in various French records from the 13th and 14th centuries. One notable example is Jacques LAFORCE, a knight who served under King Philip IV of France during the early 14th century.
As the LAFORCE surname spread across France, it also evolved into various spellings, such as LAFORSSE, LAFORCHE, and DELAFORCE. These variations can be found in historical documents and records from different regions of the country.
In the 16th century, the LAFORCE name gained prominence in the region of Normandy, where it was associated with several notable individuals. One such figure was Guillaume LAFORCE, a prominent merchant and landowner who lived in the city of Rouen during the mid-1500s.
The LAFORCE surname eventually made its way to other parts of Europe and the Americas, often carried by French immigrants and settlers. One notable bearer of the name was Jean-Baptiste LAFORCE, a French-Canadian explorer and fur trader who was active in the Great Lakes region during the late 17th century.
Another significant figure with the LAFORCE surname was Marie-Joseph LAFORCE, a French journalist and political activist who played a prominent role in the French Revolution. Born in 1757, LAFORCE was a vocal advocate for democratic reforms and was briefly imprisoned during the Reign of Terror.
In the 19th century, the LAFORCE name gained recognition in the realm of literature. Victorien LAFORCE, a French poet and novelist born in 1822, was known for his works that explored themes of nature and rural life.
While the LAFORCE surname has its origins in France, it has since spread to various parts of the world, including North America, South America, and parts of Europe. Despite this global dispersion, the name retains its connection to its French heritage and the meaning of strength and force.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Laforce
Among Census respondents with the surname Laforce, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.6%. The next largest groups are Black (6.6%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Laforce 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 Laforce surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.6% · 1,254
- Black or African American6.6% · 96
- Two or more races3.5% · 52
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 51
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Laforce
Laforce 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
#17,709
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,584
+64 bearers (+4.2%)
Per 100,000 0.54
Rank movement Down 523 places
2020
#18,606
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,465
-119 bearers (-7.5%)
Per 100,000 0.49
Rank movement Down 897 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #17,186 | 1,520 | 0.56 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #17,709 | 1,584 | 0.54 | +64 bearers (+4.2%) | Down 523 places |
| 2020 | #18,606 | 1,465 | 0.49 | -119 bearers (-7.5%) | Down 897 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 Laforce 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 | #17,709 | #18,606 | -5.1% |
| Count | 1,584 | 1,465 | -7.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.54 | 0.49 | -9.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Laforce bearers went from 1,584 to 1,465 (-7.5% change). The surname moved down 897 positions in the national ranking, going from #17,709 to #18,606.
FAQ
Laforce surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Laforce?
Name Census estimates that about 1,680 living Americans carry the surname Laforce. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 204,020 residents.
How common is Laforce?
Laforce ranks #18,606 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.49 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,465 people with the surname Laforce. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,680), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.49 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.49 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Laforce.
Has Laforce become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Laforce went from 1,584 recorded bearers to 1,465. That is a decrease of 119 (-7.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #17,709 to #18,606.
What does the Census say about the background of Laforce?
Among Census respondents with the surname Laforce, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.6%. The next largest groups are Black (6.6%) and Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Laforce in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.6% (1,254 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Laforce appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.6%), Black (6.6%), Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Laforce (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 Laforce mean?
A surname of French origin meaning "the strong one" or "the powerful one". 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 Laforce (0.49 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 Americans have the surname Laforce?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.