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

Lareau, 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 Lareau surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Lareau in America

Lareau is the 15471st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Lareau surname appeared 1,893 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Lareau.

We can also compare 2010 data for Lareau 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 Lareau

The surname LAREAU is of French origin, with its roots traced back to the 16th century in the northern regions of France, particularly in Normandy and Brittany. The name is believed to be derived from the Old French word "lare," which means "a shore" or "a bank," suggesting that the earliest bearers of this name may have resided near a body of water.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name LAREAU can be found in the historic French census records, known as the "Rolle des Nobles de la Beauce," dating back to 1463. This document mentions a certain "Jehan Lareau," indicating the presence of this surname in the Beauce region of northern France during the late medieval period.

In the 17th century, the name LAREAU appears in various French parish records, particularly in the regions of Normandy and Picardy. One notable example is the baptismal record of "Jacques Lareau," born in 1624 in the village of Montivilliers, near Le Havre.

The name LAREAU has also been associated with several prominent individuals throughout history. One such figure is Pierre Lareau, a French explorer and cartographer who accompanied the famous navigator Samuel de Champlain on his expeditions to the New World in the early 1600s. Pierre Lareau is credited with creating some of the earliest maps of the regions that would later become parts of Quebec and Ontario.

Another notable bearer of the LAREAU surname was Edmond Lareau, a Canadian lawyer, politician, and historian who lived from 1834 to 1890. He served as a member of the Canadian Parliament and authored several influential works on the history and legal system of Quebec.

In the realm of literature, the French author and poet Edouard Lareau (1863-1928) made significant contributions to the Symbolist movement of the late 19th century. His poetic works, such as "Les Voix Intérieures" and "Les Âmes Errantes," explored themes of spirituality and the human condition.

The surname LAREAU has also been carried by individuals in other fields, such as the French architect and urban planner Georges Lareau (1893-1967), whose designs helped shape the modern landscape of several cities in France and Belgium.

While the name LAREAU may have evolved slightly in its spelling and pronunciation over the centuries, its French roots and connection to the northern regions of France remain an integral part of its history and cultural significance.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Lareau

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

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

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

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