2000
#11,869
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,415
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.90
Rare Last name
Lagrange
A French topographic surname referring to someone living near a granary or barn.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,748 Americans carry the last name Lagrange. That puts it at #12,379 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.80 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 124,729 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lagrange 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
2.7K
1 in 124,729
Census rank
#12,379
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,396 bearers of the surname Lagrange in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.80 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12379th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lagrange, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.8%) and Black (5.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lagrange
The surname LAGRANGE is of French origin, originating in the 16th century. It is derived from the Old French phrase "la grange," which translates to "the barn" or "the granary." This name likely referred to someone who lived near or worked at a barn or granary.
The LAGRANGE surname is most commonly associated with the Normandy region of northern France, where it first appeared in historical records. Similar spellings include LaGrange, Lagrange, and Grange.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the LAGRANGE surname can be found in the "Livre des Bourgeois de Rouen" (Book of Bourgeois of Rouen), a medieval manuscript from the 14th century, which lists several individuals with the name.
In the 17th century, the LAGRANGE surname gained prominence with the birth of Joseph-Louis Lagrange (1736-1813), a renowned Italian mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the field of calculus. He is considered one of the greatest mathematicians of the 18th century.
Another notable figure with the LAGRANGE surname is Marie-Joseph Lagrange (1855-1938), a French Catholic priest and theologian who served as the Superior General of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit from 1909 to 1927.
In the 19th century, Jean-Baptiste Lagrange (1801-1870) was a French architect known for his works in Paris, including the renovation of the Palais de Justice and the construction of the Église de la Trinité.
More recently, Bruno Lagrange (1919-1985) was a French actor and screenwriter who appeared in several films during the mid-20th century.
Maxence Lagrange (born 1984) is a contemporary French professional cyclist who has competed in various Grand Tours, including the Tour de France and the Vuelta a España.
Throughout history, the LAGRANGE surname has been associated with various places in France, such as La Grange-de-Vaivre, a commune in the Haute-Saône department, and La Grange-de-Montigny, a commune in the Vosges department.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lagrange
Among Census respondents with the surname Lagrange, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.8%) and Black (5.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Lagrange 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 Lagrange surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.9% · 1,938
- Hispanic or Latino8.8% · 212
- Black or African American5.5% · 131
- Two or more races4.0% · 96
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 11
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lagrange
Lagrange 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
#12,108
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,574
+159 bearers (+6.6%)
Per 100,000 0.87
Rank movement Down 239 places
2020
#12,379
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,396
-178 bearers (-6.9%)
Per 100,000 0.80
Rank movement Down 271 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,869 | 2,415 | 0.90 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,108 | 2,574 | 0.87 | +159 bearers (+6.6%) | Down 239 places |
| 2020 | #12,379 | 2,396 | 0.80 | -178 bearers (-6.9%) | Down 271 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 Lagrange 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 | #12,108 | #12,379 | -2.2% |
| Count | 2,574 | 2,396 | -6.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.87 | 0.80 | -7.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lagrange bearers went from 2,574 to 2,396 (-6.9% change). The surname moved down 271 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,108 to #12,379.
FAQ
Lagrange surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lagrange?
Name Census estimates that about 2,748 living Americans carry the surname Lagrange. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 124,729 residents.
How common is Lagrange?
Lagrange ranks #12,379 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.80 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 2,396 people with the surname Lagrange. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,748), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.8 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.80 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 Lagrange.
Has Lagrange become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lagrange went from 2,574 recorded bearers to 2,396. That is a decrease of 178 (-6.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,108 to #12,379.
What does the Census say about the background of Lagrange?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lagrange, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.8%) and Black (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 Lagrange in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.9% (1,938 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lagrange appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.9%), Hispanic (8.8%), Black (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 Lagrange (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 Lagrange mean?
A French topographic surname referring to someone living near a granary or barn. 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 Lagrange (0.80 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 Lagrange?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Lagrange at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.