2010
#137,327
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Laform
A French surname derived from a location or place name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 130 Americans carry the last name Laform. That puts it at #147,221 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,636,572 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Laform 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
130
1 in 2,636,572
Census rank
#147,221
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
113
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 113 bearers of the surname Laform in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147221st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Laform, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (23.0%) and Two or More Races (7.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Laform
The surname LAFORM originated in France during the late medieval period, likely around the 13th or 14th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old French word "fourme," which referred to a mold or form used in the production of cheese or other goods. This suggests that the name may have originally been an occupational surname for someone involved in cheesemaking or a related trade.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name LAFORM can be found in the historical records of the region of Normandy, where it appears as "de la Fourme" in a document dated 1324. This spelling variation reflects the French preposition "de" (meaning "of" or "from") combined with the occupational descriptor "la fourme," suggesting the name may have referred to someone's place of origin or occupation.
In the 15th century, the name LAFORM was documented in the city of Rouen, where a certain Jean LAFORM was mentioned in a tax record from 1467. This provides evidence that the name had spread beyond its initial Norman origins and was becoming more widespread throughout northern France.
During the 16th century, the LAFORM surname appeared in various records across several regions of France, including the provinces of Burgundy and Champagne. One notable example is Jacques LAFORM, a merchant from Dijon who was born around 1520 and played a role in the local trade guilds.
As the centuries progressed, the LAFORM name continued to be present in various parts of France, with some individuals achieving notable status. For instance, Étienne LAFORM (1680-1745) was a renowned clockmaker from the city of Besançon, whose intricate timepieces were sought after by the French nobility.
Another notable figure was Marie-Thérèse LAFORM (1737-1813), a prominent businesswoman from Lyon who established a successful silk-weaving enterprise and contributed to the city's thriving textile industry.
In the 19th century, the LAFORM name can be found in various records across France, including the birth records of Paul LAFORM (1825-1892), a celebrated painter from Paris whose works explored themes of rural life and landscapes.
While the LAFORM surname has its roots in France, it has since spread to other parts of the world through emigration and migration patterns, with individuals bearing this name making their mark in various fields and communities.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Laform
Among Census respondents with the surname Laform, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (23.0%) and Two or More Races (7.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Laform 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 Laform surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White64.6% · 73
- Hispanic or Latino23.0% · 26
- Two or more races7.1% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native3.5% · 4
- Black or African American1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Laform
Laform appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#147,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
-9 bearers (-7.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,894 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #137,327 | 122 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #147,221 | 113 | 0.04 | -9 bearers (-7.4%) | Down 9,894 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 Laform 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 | #137,327 | #147,221 | -7.2% |
| Count | 122 | 113 | -7.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Laform bearers went from 122 to 113 (-7.4% change). The surname moved down 9,894 positions in the national ranking, going from #137,327 to #147,221.
FAQ
Laform surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Laform?
Name Census estimates that about 130 living Americans carry the surname Laform. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,636,572 residents.
How common is Laform?
Laform ranks #147,221 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 113 people with the surname Laform. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (130), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Laform.
Has Laform become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Laform went from 122 recorded bearers to 113. That is a decrease of 9 (-7.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #137,327 to #147,221.
What does the Census say about the background of Laform?
Among Census respondents with the surname Laform, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (23.0%) and Two or More Races (7.1%). 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 Laform in the 2020 Census, accounting for 64.6% (73 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Laform appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (64.6%), Hispanic (23.0%), Two or More Races (7.1%). 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 Laform (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 Laform mean?
A French surname derived from a location or place name. 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 Laform (0.04 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 common is the surname Laform?
See how many Americans have the surname Laform on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.