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

LaMotte, 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 LaMotte surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of LaMotte in America

LaMotte is the 13326th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The LaMotte surname appeared 2,289 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname LaMotte.

We can also compare 2010 data for LaMotte 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 LaMotte

The surname Lamotte originated in France during the medieval period. It is derived from the French words "la" meaning "the" and "motte" meaning a small hill or mound. This suggests the name likely referred to someone who lived near a prominent hillock or mound.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Livre des Bourgeois de Rouen, a register of citizens in the city of Rouen, Normandy, which mentions a Robert de la Motte in 1292. The name also appears in various other medieval records from northern France, with spellings like La Mote, Lamote, and De la Motte.

A notable early bearer of this surname was Jean Lamotte, a French mathematician and astronomer born in Rouen around 1520. He made important contributions to the study of comets and planetary motion.

In the 17th century, Jacques Lamotte, born in 1620 in Calais, was a renowned French painter and etcher known for his portraits and religious works. His art can be found in museums across Europe.

Antoine Houdart de Lamotte, born in 1672 in Paris, was a influential French poet, critic, and dramatist during the Age of Enlightenment. He produced notable works like Fables nouvelles and Inès de Castro.

Marie-Anne Lamotte, born in 1756 in Normandy, was a famous French dancer and choreographer who achieved great success at the Paris Opera Ballet in the late 18th century.

Another prominent bearer was Marshal Joachim Lamotte, born in 1804 in Metz, who served as a general in the French army during the Napoleonic Wars and later became a senator under Napoleon III.

While the surname's origins trace back to northern France, over the centuries it spread to other regions and countries, with variations like Lamott, Lamot, and Lamotte found across Europe and even in North America among descendants of French immigrants.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name LaMotte

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

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

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

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