2000
#7,204
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,274
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.58
Rare Last name
Lapierre
A French topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a stone or rock quarry.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,880 Americans carry the last name Lapierre. That puts it at #7,534 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.42 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 70,237 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lapierre 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
4.9K
1 in 70,237
Census rank
#7,534
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,256 bearers of the surname Lapierre in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.42 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7534th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lapierre, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.7%. The next largest groups are Black (5.9%) and Hispanic (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lapierre
The surname Lapierre has its origins in France, dating back to the medieval period. It is derived from the French words "la" meaning "the" and "pierre" meaning "stone" or "rock". The name likely referred to someone who lived near a prominent rock formation or worked as a stonemason.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Lapierre can be found in the Domesday Book, a survey of land ownership commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. This suggests that the name was already in use by the 11th century among the French-Norman population.
During the Middle Ages, the Lapierre name was particularly prevalent in the regions of Normandy, Brittany, and Anjou in northwestern France. Variations in spelling included LaPierre, La Pierre, and Lapiere, reflecting the evolving nature of surnames during this period.
In the 13th century, a notable figure named Pierre Lapierre was a prominent merchant and landowner in the city of Rouen, Normandy. Records indicate that he was involved in the lucrative wool trade and owned several properties within the city walls.
Another historical figure of note was Jean Lapierre, a French soldier who fought in the Hundred Years' War against the English in the 15th century. He is believed to have participated in the Battle of Agincourt in 1415, where the outnumbered English forces defeated the French army.
During the 17th century, the Lapierre family established a presence in the New World, with several members migrating to the French colonies in North America, particularly in what is now Quebec and Nova Scotia. One such individual was Jacques Lapierre, who was born in 1632 in the village of Sainte-Mère-Église in Normandy and later settled in the colony of Acadia (now Nova Scotia) in the 1650s.
In the 19th century, a prominent figure named Louis-Edouard Lapierre was a French writer and journalist. Born in 1819 in Paris, he authored several novels and worked as a political commentator for various publications. He was also involved in the revolutionary movements of 1848 and was briefly imprisoned for his political activities.
Another notable individual with the Lapierre surname was Émile Lapierre, a French engineer who lived from 1845 to 1918. He was instrumental in the construction of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, working closely with Gustave Eiffel on the iconic structure's design and implementation.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lapierre
Among Census respondents with the surname Lapierre, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.7%. The next largest groups are Black (5.9%) and Hispanic (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Lapierre 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 Lapierre surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.7% · 3,649
- Black or African American5.9% · 253
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 168
- Two or more races3.2% · 137
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 31
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 18
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lapierre
Lapierre 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
#7,406
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,494
+220 bearers (+5.1%)
Per 100,000 1.52
Rank movement Down 202 places
2020
#7,534
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,256
-238 bearers (-5.3%)
Per 100,000 1.42
Rank movement Down 128 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,204 | 4,274 | 1.58 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,406 | 4,494 | 1.52 | +220 bearers (+5.1%) | Down 202 places |
| 2020 | #7,534 | 4,256 | 1.42 | -238 bearers (-5.3%) | Down 128 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 Lapierre 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 | #7,406 | #7,534 | -1.7% |
| Count | 4,494 | 4,256 | -5.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.52 | 1.42 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lapierre bearers went from 4,494 to 4,256 (-5.3% change). The surname moved down 128 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,406 to #7,534.
FAQ
Lapierre surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lapierre?
Name Census estimates that about 4,880 living Americans carry the surname Lapierre. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 70,237 residents.
How common is Lapierre?
Lapierre ranks #7,534 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.42 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 4,256 people with the surname Lapierre. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,880), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.42 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.42 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 Lapierre.
Has Lapierre become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lapierre went from 4,494 recorded bearers to 4,256. That is a decrease of 238 (-5.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,406 to #7,534.
What does the Census say about the background of Lapierre?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lapierre, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.7%. The next largest groups are Black (5.9%) and Hispanic (3.9%). 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 Lapierre in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.7% (3,649 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lapierre appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.7%), Black (5.9%), Hispanic (3.9%). 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 Lapierre (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 Lapierre mean?
A French topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a stone or rock quarry. 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 Lapierre (1.42 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 surname Lapierre?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.