2000
#128,797
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Lafour
A French surname that may have originated from a place name or occupation.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 125 Americans carry the last name Lafour. That puts it at #150,205 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,742,035 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lafour 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
125
1 in 2,742,035
Census rank
#150,205
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
109
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 109 bearers of the surname Lafour in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150205th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lafour, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.3%) and Two or More Races (5.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lafour
The surname LAFOUR is of French origin, dating back to the medieval period. It is believed to have originated in the region of Normandy, where it was likely derived from the Old French word "la four," meaning "the oven" or "the furnace." This suggests that the name may have been initially associated with a baker or someone who worked with ovens or furnaces.
In its earliest recorded form, the name appeared as "La Fourne" or "La Fournie" in various records from the 12th and 13th centuries in Normandy. Over time, the spelling evolved to its current form, LAFOUR. Some variations of the name found in historical records include La Fournée, La Fournie, and La Fournière.
One of the earliest known references to the name LAFOUR can be found in the Livre des Bourgeois de Rouen, a register of citizens in the city of Rouen, Normandy, from the 14th century. This document mentions a certain Jehan La Fournée, who was a resident of Rouen during that time.
In the 15th century, the name appears in the records of the Abbey of Fécamp in Normandy, where a monk named Pierre LAFOUR is mentioned. Another notable individual bearing this surname was Jacques LAFOUR, a merchant from Rouen who lived in the late 16th century.
During the 17th century, the LAFOUR name gained prominence in the region of Provence in southern France. One notable figure was Jean-Baptiste LAFOUR (1632-1708), a renowned painter and artist from Aix-en-Provence.
In the 18th century, the name was associated with several notable figures in the French military. For example, François-Marie LAFOUR (1736-1796) was a French general who served during the French Revolutionary Wars.
Another significant figure with the LAFOUR surname was Jean-Baptiste LAFOUR (1739-1820), a French architect and urban planner who was responsible for designing several notable buildings and urban projects in Paris and other cities in France.
As the name spread beyond France, it also found its way to other parts of Europe and eventually to the Americas. For instance, in the 19th century, there was a notable Canadian politician named Henri LAFOUR (1817-1897), who served as a member of the Canadian Parliament.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals with the surname LAFOUR throughout history, highlighting its French origins and its presence in various fields, including art, military, architecture, and politics.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lafour
Among Census respondents with the surname Lafour, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.3%) and Two or More Races (5.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Lafour 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 Lafour surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White78.9% · 86
- Hispanic or Latino7.3% · 8
- Two or more races5.5% · 6
- Black or African American4.6% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.7% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lafour
Lafour 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
#131,379
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 129
+7 bearers (+5.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 2,582 places
2020
#150,205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
-20 bearers (-15.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 18,826 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #128,797 | 122 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #131,379 | 129 | 0.04 | +7 bearers (+5.7%) | Down 2,582 places |
| 2020 | #150,205 | 109 | 0.04 | -20 bearers (-15.5%) | Down 18,826 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 Lafour 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 | #131,379 | #150,205 | -14.3% |
| Count | 129 | 109 | -15.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lafour bearers went from 129 to 109 (-15.5% change). The surname moved down 18,826 positions in the national ranking, going from #131,379 to #150,205.
FAQ
Lafour surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lafour?
Name Census estimates that about 125 living Americans carry the surname Lafour. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,742,035 residents.
How common is Lafour?
Lafour ranks #150,205 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 109 people with the surname Lafour. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (125), 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 Lafour.
Has Lafour become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lafour went from 129 recorded bearers to 109. That is a decrease of 20 (-15.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #131,379 to #150,205.
What does the Census say about the background of Lafour?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lafour, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.3%) and Two or More Races (5.5%). 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 Lafour in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.9% (86 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lafour appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (78.9%), Hispanic (7.3%), Two or More Races (5.5%). 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 Lafour (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 Lafour mean?
A French surname that may have originated from a place name or occupation. 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 Lafour (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 many people have the last name Lafour?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Lafour at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.