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

Lapérouse, 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 Lapérouse surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Lapérouse in America

Lapérouse is the 127494th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Lapérouse surname appeared 134 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Lapérouse.

We can also compare 2010 data for Lapérouse 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 Lapérouse

The surname LAPEROUSE originated in France during the 17th century. It is believed to have derived from the French phrase "la pérouse," which means "the perilous" or "the hazardous." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who lived in a dangerous or treacherous area.

In its earliest recorded instances, the name was often spelled as "La Pérouse" or "Laperouse." These variations likely stemmed from regional dialects and the inconsistent spelling conventions of the time.

One of the earliest known references to the name LAPEROUSE can be found in the records of the French explorer Jean-François de Galaup, comte de Lapérouse. Born in 1741, he was a naval officer and explorer who led a famous expedition to the Pacific Ocean in 1785. Tragically, he and his crew vanished in 1788, and their fate remained a mystery for decades.

Another notable figure with this surname was Jean-Baptiste Laperouse, a French naval officer who served during the Napoleonic Wars. He was born in 1772 and is known for his role in the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, where he was taken prisoner by the British.

In the realm of literature, the name LAPEROUSE appears in the works of the French novelist Honoré de Balzac. One of his characters, a minor nobleman named Laperouse, is featured in his 1837 novel "Honorine."

During the late 18th and early 19th centuries, the name LAPEROUSE also gained some prominence in the French colonies of the Caribbean. Records show families with this surname living in Martinique and Guadeloupe during this period.

Another notable bearer of the name was Marie-Josephe Laperouse, a French botanist and explorer who lived from 1788 to 1843. She is known for her contributions to the study of the flora of the Antilles region.

While the name LAPEROUSE is not among the most common surnames in France today, it remains a part of the country's rich historical and cultural heritage, with its roots stretching back to the 17th century and the era of French exploration and colonization.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Lapérouse

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

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

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

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