2000
#4,650
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,971
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.58
Rare Last name
Laplante
A French topographic surname referring to someone living near a plantation or an area of newly planted land.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,137 Americans carry the last name Laplante. That puts it at #4,828 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.37 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 42,123 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Laplante 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
8.1K
1 in 42,123
Census rank
#4,828
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,096 bearers of the surname Laplante in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.37 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4828th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Laplante, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.8%. The next largest groups are Black (4.4%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Laplante
The surname LAPLANTE originated in France during the 12th century. It is derived from the French phrase "la plante," which translates to "the plant" or "the seedling." This name was likely given to someone who lived near a notable plant or worked as a gardener or farmer.
The earliest known record of the surname LAPLANTE dates back to 1189 in the Normandy region of France. A man named Rouillard LAPLANTE was listed as a landowner in the village of Bayeux. This area was known for its fertile soil and agricultural wealth, which may have contributed to the origin of the name.
In the 13th century, the name LAPLANTE appeared in several medieval records and manuscripts, including the Cartulaire de l'Abbaye de Saint-Étienne de Caen, a collection of charters and documents from the Abbey of Saint-Étienne in Caen, Normandy. This suggests that the name was well-established in the region during this time.
One of the earliest notable individuals with the surname LAPLANTE was Jean LAPLANTE, a French explorer and fur trader who was born in 1614 in Rouen, France. He traveled to New France (now Canada) in the 1630s and became one of the first European settlers in the region.
Another prominent figure was Marie-Anne LAPLANTE, a French colonist who was born in 1647 in Québec City, New France. She is known for being one of the first European women to give birth in the colony, and her descendants helped establish several settlements in the region.
In the 18th century, Nicolas LAPLANTE (1712-1789) was a French-Canadian farmer and landowner who played a significant role in the development of agriculture in the Montréal area. He is also recognized for his contributions to the establishment of several parishes and churches in the region.
During the French Revolution, a notable figure was Jacques-François LAPLANTE (1758-1832), a French lawyer and politician who served as a deputy in the National Convention and later became a member of the Council of Five Hundred.
In the 19th century, Louis-Hippolyte LAPLANTE (1824-1890) was a prominent Canadian lawyer, judge, and politician. He served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada and was later appointed to the Superior Court of the Province of Québec.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Laplante
Among Census respondents with the surname Laplante, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.8%. The next largest groups are Black (4.4%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Laplante 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 Laplante surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.8% · 6,017
- Black or African American4.4% · 313
- Two or more races4.2% · 301
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 228
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.4% · 172
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 65
Timeline
Historical Census data for Laplante
Laplante 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
#4,896
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,195
+224 bearers (+3.2%)
Per 100,000 2.44
Rank movement Down 246 places
2020
#4,828
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,096
-99 bearers (-1.4%)
Per 100,000 2.37
Rank movement Up 68 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,650 | 6,971 | 2.58 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,896 | 7,195 | 2.44 | +224 bearers (+3.2%) | Down 246 places |
| 2020 | #4,828 | 7,096 | 2.37 | -99 bearers (-1.4%) | Up 68 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 Laplante 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 | #4,896 | #4,828 | 1.4% |
| Count | 7,195 | 7,096 | -1.4% |
| Per 100K | 2.44 | 2.37 | -2.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Laplante bearers went from 7,195 to 7,096 (-1.4% change). The surname moved up 68 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,896 to #4,828.
FAQ
Laplante surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Laplante?
Name Census estimates that about 8,137 living Americans carry the surname Laplante. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 42,123 residents.
How common is Laplante?
Laplante ranks #4,828 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.37 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,096 people with the surname Laplante. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,137), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.37 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.37 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Laplante.
Has Laplante become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Laplante went from 7,195 recorded bearers to 7,096. That is a decrease of 99 (-1.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #4,896 to #4,828.
What does the Census say about the background of Laplante?
Among Census respondents with the surname Laplante, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.8%. The next largest groups are Black (4.4%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Laplante in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.8% (6,017 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Laplante appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.8%), Black (4.4%), Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Laplante (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 Laplante mean?
A French topographic surname referring to someone living near a plantation or an area of newly planted land. 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 Laplante (2.37 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 Laplante?
You can see how many people have the surname Laplante on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.