2010
#156,044
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Lapuente
A surname meaning "the bridge" in Spanish.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 118 Americans carry the last name Lapuente. That puts it at #154,182 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,904,698 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lapuente 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
118
1 in 2,904,698
Census rank
#154,182
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
103
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 103 bearers of the surname Lapuente in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154182nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lapuente, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 68.9%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (16.5%) and White (7.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lapuente
The surname Lapuente is of Spanish origin, tracing its roots back to the 8th century during the Moorish occupation of the Iberian Peninsula. It is derived from the Spanish phrase "la puente," meaning "the bridge," suggesting that the name's bearers may have lived near a significant bridge or were involved in bridge construction or maintenance.
The earliest recorded instances of the Lapuente surname can be found in medieval documents from the regions of Aragon and Catalonia, where it was often spelled as "La Puente" or "Lapuent." This variation in spelling was common during that time due to the lack of standardized orthography.
One of the earliest notable figures bearing the Lapuente name was Ramón de Lapuente (c. 1270-1330), a Catalan knight and military commander who fought in the Aragonese Crusade against the Kingdom of Valencia. His exploits are chronicled in several contemporaneous manuscripts, including the "Crónica de Pedro el Ceremonioso."
Another prominent individual was Juan de Lapuente (1563-1624), a Spanish Jesuit priest and theologian renowned for his works on moral philosophy and casuistry. He served as a professor at the University of Salamanca and was widely respected for his erudition.
In the 18th century, José de Lapuente (1707-1789) was a Spanish diplomat and statesman who served as the ambassador to the Holy See and played a significant role in the negotiations between Spain and the Vatican during the reign of King Charles III.
The Lapuente surname also gained prominence in the arts, with José María Lapuente y Samper (1827-1888), a renowned Spanish painter and illustrator known for his vibrant depictions of historical scenes and landscapes.
Another notable figure was Miguel de Lapuente (1865-1937), a Spanish architect and urban planner who designed several iconic buildings in Madrid, including the Palacio de Comunicaciones (now the City Hall) and the Círculo de Bellas Artes.
While the Lapuente surname originated in Spain, over the centuries it has spread to other Spanish-speaking countries, particularly in Latin America, where it has gained further recognition and prominence.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lapuente
Among Census respondents with the surname Lapuente, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 68.9%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (16.5%) and White (7.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Lapuente 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 Lapuente surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino68.9% · 71
- Asian and Pacific Islander16.5% · 17
- White7.8% · 8
- Two or more races4.9% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lapuente
Lapuente appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#154,182
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
-1 bearers (-1.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 1,862 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #156,044 | 104 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #154,182 | 103 | 0.03 | -1 bearers (-1.0%) | Up 1,862 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 Lapuente 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 | #156,044 | #154,182 | 1.2% |
| Count | 104 | 103 | -1.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lapuente bearers went from 104 to 103 (-1.0% change). The surname moved up 1,862 positions in the national ranking, going from #156,044 to #154,182.
FAQ
Lapuente surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lapuente?
Name Census estimates that about 118 living Americans carry the surname Lapuente. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,904,698 residents.
How common is Lapuente?
Lapuente ranks #154,182 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 103 people with the surname Lapuente. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (118), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Lapuente.
Has Lapuente become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lapuente went from 104 recorded bearers to 103. That is a decrease of 1 (-1.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #156,044 to #154,182.
What does the Census say about the background of Lapuente?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lapuente, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 68.9%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (16.5%) and White (7.8%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Lapuente in the 2020 Census, accounting for 68.9% (71 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lapuente appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (68.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (16.5%), White (7.8%). 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 Lapuente (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 Lapuente mean?
A surname meaning "the bridge" in Spanish. 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 Lapuente (0.03 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 Lapuente?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.