2000
#3,824
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,525
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.16
Rare Last name
Lapointe
A French occupational surname referring to someone who lived near or worked at a place with a pointed topographical feature.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,951 Americans carry the last name Lapointe. That puts it at #3,962 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.90 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 34,444 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lapointe 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
10.0K
1 in 34,444
Census rank
#3,962
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,678 bearers of the surname Lapointe in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.90 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3962nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lapointe, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lapointe
The surname Lapointe originated in France, with its earliest recorded usage dating back to the 12th century. The name derives from the Old French words "la" meaning "the" and "pointe" meaning "point" or "tip," likely referring to a geographical location or a physical feature like a promontory or headland.
Lapointe was initially found in the northern regions of France, particularly in Normandy and Brittany, where it was often associated with coastal areas or settlements near prominent landforms. Some variations in spelling included Lapointe, Lapointe, and Lapoynte, reflecting regional dialects and scribal interpretations.
One of the earliest known references to the name Lapointe can be found in the Cartulaire de Redon, a medieval cartulary from the Redon Abbey in Brittany, which mentions a certain "Petrus de la Pointe" in 1179. Another early record comes from the Livre des Bourgeois de Rouen, a register of citizens in the city of Rouen, which lists a "Jehan Lapointe" in 1292.
As the name spread across France, it became associated with various families and individuals of note. For example, Jacques de Lapointe (1545-1619) was a prominent jurist and legal scholar from Paris, who served as a counselor in the Parlement of Paris. Another notable figure was René Lapointe (1693-1770), a French naval officer and explorer who participated in several expeditions to the West Indies and the Caribbean.
In the 18th century, the name Lapointe gained further prominence with Jean-Baptiste Lapointe (1722-1804), a French architect who worked on several notable projects, including the renovation of the Château de Compiègne and the construction of the Théâtre de l'Odéon in Paris.
As the French colonial presence expanded, the name Lapointe also took root in other parts of the world. For instance, Louis Lapointe (1773-1842) was a French-Canadian businessman and landowner who played a significant role in the development of the city of Quebec.
Another notable figure was Édouard Lapointe (1866-1919), a French-Canadian politician and lawyer who served as a member of the House of Commons of Canada and as the Mayor of Quebec City.
While the surname Lapointe is most commonly associated with France and its former colonies, it has also been found in other parts of Europe and beyond, likely due to migration and intermarriage. The name continues to be prevalent in various parts of the world, carrying with it a rich historical legacy that stretches back centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lapointe
Among Census respondents with the surname Lapointe, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Lapointe 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 Lapointe surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.6% · 7,253
- Two or more races4.4% · 379
- American Indian and Alaska Native4.2% · 367
- Black or African American3.9% · 341
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 281
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 57
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lapointe
Lapointe 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
#3,995
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,894
+369 bearers (+4.3%)
Per 100,000 3.02
Rank movement Down 171 places
2020
#3,962
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,678
-216 bearers (-2.4%)
Per 100,000 2.90
Rank movement Up 33 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,824 | 8,525 | 3.16 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,995 | 8,894 | 3.02 | +369 bearers (+4.3%) | Down 171 places |
| 2020 | #3,962 | 8,678 | 2.90 | -216 bearers (-2.4%) | Up 33 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 Lapointe 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 | #3,995 | #3,962 | 0.8% |
| Count | 8,894 | 8,678 | -2.4% |
| Per 100K | 3.02 | 2.90 | -3.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lapointe bearers went from 8,894 to 8,678 (-2.4% change). The surname moved up 33 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,995 to #3,962.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Lapointe
FAQ
Lapointe surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lapointe?
Name Census estimates that about 9,951 living Americans carry the surname Lapointe. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 34,444 residents.
How common is Lapointe?
Lapointe ranks #3,962 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.90 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,678 people with the surname Lapointe. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,951), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.9 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.90 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Lapointe.
Has Lapointe become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lapointe went from 8,894 recorded bearers to 8,678. That is a decrease of 216 (-2.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #3,995 to #3,962.
What does the Census say about the background of Lapointe?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lapointe, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (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 Lapointe in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.6% (7,253 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lapointe appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.6%), Two or More Races (4.4%), American Indian/Alaska Native (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 Lapointe (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 Lapointe mean?
A French occupational surname referring to someone who lived near or worked at a place with a pointed topographical feature. 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 Lapointe (2.90 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 Lapointe?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.