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

LaFrance, 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 LaFrance surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of LaFrance in America

LaFrance is the 6148th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The LaFrance surname appeared 5,574 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname LaFrance.

We can also compare 2010 data for LaFrance 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 LaFrance

The surname "LAFRANCE" is of French origin, deriving from the French words "la" meaning "the" and "France" referring to the country France. It likely originated as a locational surname given to someone who either resided in or hailed from France.

The earliest recorded use of the surname dates back to the 13th century in various regions of France, such as Normandy, Brittany, and Île-de-France. It was commonly spelled as "Lafrance" or variations like "Lafranche" or "Lafrançois".

In the 14th century, the surname appeared in several historical records, including the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in England, where a Robert Lafraunce was listed in 1327. Additionally, the name was mentioned in the Calendarium Genealogicum by Charles du Fresne, Sieur du Cange, a renowned 17th-century French historian and philologist.

One of the earliest notable individuals with the surname was Jean Lafrance, a French military officer born in 1620 who served in the Thirty Years' War. Another prominent figure was Pierre Lafrance, a French explorer and cartographer born in 1678 who mapped parts of the Mississippi River and the Great Lakes region.

In the 18th century, Jacques Lafrance (1720-1789) was a French architect known for his work on several churches and public buildings in Paris. Louis Lafrance (1755-1821) was a French Revolutionary soldier who fought in the Napoleonic Wars.

During the 19th century, Étienne Lafrance (1810-1872) was a renowned French sculptor whose works adorned various public spaces in Paris and other cities across France. Another notable bearer of the surname was Marie Lafrance (1845-1912), a French writer and feminist advocate who campaigned for women's rights and education.

The surname "LAFRANCE" is closely associated with its French origins, and while it has spread to other parts of the world through migration, its roots can be traced back to various regions of France over several centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name LaFrance

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

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

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

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