2000
#12,047
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,377
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.88
Rare Last name
Larochelle
A French toponymic surname indicating someone from La Rochelle, a port city in western France.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,826 Americans carry the last name Larochelle. That puts it at #12,083 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.82 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 121,286 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Larochelle 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
2.8K
1 in 121,286
Census rank
#12,083
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,464 bearers of the surname Larochelle in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.82 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12083rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Larochelle, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.5%. The next largest groups are Black (6.7%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Larochelle
The surname LaRochelle has its origins in France, dating back to the medieval period. It is a locational name derived from the town of La Rochelle, situated in the Charente-Maritime department of western France. The name is believed to have originated from the Gallo-Romance words "la roca," meaning "the rock" or "the rocky place," referring to the town's coastal location along the Bay of Biscay.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name LaRochelle can be found in the Cartulaire de Saint-Maixent, a medieval manuscript from the 11th century. This document mentions a certain "Gaufridus de La Rochelle," suggesting that the name was already in use by that time.
In the 13th century, the name appeared in the Trésor des Chartes, a collection of historical documents from the French monarchy. This record mentions a "Petrus de La Rochelle," indicating the surname's continued use and association with the town.
During the 14th century, a notable figure bearing the name LaRochelle was Jean de La Rochelle (c. 1315-1377), a French Franciscan friar and theologian. He was born in La Rochelle and became a renowned scholar, authoring several works on philosophy and theology.
In the 16th century, the name gained further recognition with the French Renaissance poet, Rémy Belleau (1528-1577), whose full name was Rémy Belleau de La Rochelle. He was a member of the renowned Pléiade group of poets and contributed significantly to the development of French Renaissance literature.
Another notable figure with the surname LaRochelle was Jean-Baptiste LaRochelle (1710-1782), a French-Canadian Catholic priest and missionary who served in various regions of what is now Quebec and Ontario. He played a significant role in the establishment of several parishes and missions in those areas.
Across the Atlantic, in the United States, one of the earliest recorded instances of the surname LaRochelle dates back to the late 18th century. Jacques LaRochelle (1771-1832) was a French-American entrepreneur and merchant who settled in New Orleans, where he established a successful business and became a prominent figure in the city's commercial and social circles.
These are just a few examples of the historical figures who bore the surname LaRochelle, reflecting its French origins and long-standing presence throughout various regions and time periods.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Larochelle
Among Census respondents with the surname Larochelle, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.5%. The next largest groups are Black (6.7%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Larochelle 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 Larochelle surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.5% · 2,106
- Black or African American6.7% · 164
- Two or more races3.9% · 96
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 64
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 27
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Larochelle
Larochelle 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
#12,182
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,558
+181 bearers (+7.6%)
Per 100,000 0.87
Rank movement Down 135 places
2020
#12,083
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,464
-94 bearers (-3.7%)
Per 100,000 0.82
Rank movement Up 99 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,047 | 2,377 | 0.88 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,182 | 2,558 | 0.87 | +181 bearers (+7.6%) | Down 135 places |
| 2020 | #12,083 | 2,464 | 0.82 | -94 bearers (-3.7%) | Up 99 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 Larochelle 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 | #12,182 | #12,083 | 0.8% |
| Count | 2,558 | 2,464 | -3.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.87 | 0.82 | -5.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Larochelle bearers went from 2,558 to 2,464 (-3.7% change). The surname moved up 99 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,182 to #12,083.
FAQ
Larochelle surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Larochelle?
Name Census estimates that about 2,826 living Americans carry the surname Larochelle. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 121,286 residents.
How common is Larochelle?
Larochelle ranks #12,083 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.82 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 2,464 people with the surname Larochelle. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,826), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.82 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.82 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 Larochelle.
Has Larochelle become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Larochelle went from 2,558 recorded bearers to 2,464. That is a decrease of 94 (-3.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #12,182 to #12,083.
What does the Census say about the background of Larochelle?
Among Census respondents with the surname Larochelle, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.5%. The next largest groups are Black (6.7%) and Two or More Races (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 Larochelle in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.5% (2,106 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Larochelle appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.5%), Black (6.7%), Two or More Races (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 Larochelle (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 Larochelle mean?
A French toponymic surname indicating someone from La Rochelle, a port city in western France. 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 Larochelle (0.82 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 last name Larochelle?
See how many people have the last name Larochelle on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.