2000
#8,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,651
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.35
Rare Last name
Lasalle
French toponymic surname derived from any of various places named La Salle, meaning "the hall" or "the room."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,129 Americans carry the last name Lasalle. That puts it at #8,743 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.20 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 83,011 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lasalle 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
4.1K
1 in 83,011
Census rank
#8,743
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,601 bearers of the surname Lasalle in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.20 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8743rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lasalle, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (21.4%) and Black (10.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lasalle
The surname LaSalle has its origins in France, with records dating back to the 17th century. It is derived from the French words "la" meaning "the" and "salle" meaning "hall" or "room". This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived in a particular hall or manor house.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in the French region of Normandy, where a family bearing the name LaSalle was documented in the late 1600s. It's possible that the name originated in this area and later spread to other parts of France.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the name LaSalle appears in various historical records and documents, particularly those related to land ownership and legal transactions. One notable example is the explorer René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de LaSalle (1643-1687), who was a French explorer known for his expeditions in North America, including the exploration of the Great Lakes region and the Mississippi River.
Another prominent figure with the surname LaSalle was Antoine de LaSalle (1754-1829), a French-American merchant and politician who served as the mayor of Baltimore, Maryland, from 1806 to 1807.
In the 19th century, the LaSalle family was established in the United States, with members settling in various parts of the country. One notable individual was René LaSalle (1811-1891), a French-American artist and engraver who was born in France but spent much of his life in New York City.
Another notable individual with the surname LaSalle was Edmond LaSalle (1846-1910), a French-American architect who designed several notable buildings in New Orleans, Louisiana, including the St. Roch Market and the St. Louis Cathedral.
As the name spread across France and eventually to other parts of the world, various spellings emerged, such as LaSalle, La Salle, and Lasalle. However, the core meaning and origin of the name remained rooted in the French language and its connection to a hall or room.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lasalle
Among Census respondents with the surname Lasalle, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (21.4%) and Black (10.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Lasalle 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 Lasalle surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White63.1% · 2,272
- Hispanic or Latino21.4% · 770
- Black or African American10.6% · 383
- Two or more races2.6% · 95
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.9% · 67
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lasalle
Lasalle 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
#8,646
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,803
+152 bearers (+4.2%)
Per 100,000 1.29
Rank movement Down 307 places
2020
#8,743
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,601
-202 bearers (-5.3%)
Per 100,000 1.20
Rank movement Down 97 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,339 | 3,651 | 1.35 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,646 | 3,803 | 1.29 | +152 bearers (+4.2%) | Down 307 places |
| 2020 | #8,743 | 3,601 | 1.20 | -202 bearers (-5.3%) | Down 97 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 Lasalle 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 | #8,646 | #8,743 | -1.1% |
| Count | 3,803 | 3,601 | -5.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.29 | 1.20 | -6.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lasalle bearers went from 3,803 to 3,601 (-5.3% change). The surname moved down 97 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,646 to #8,743.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Lasalle
FAQ
Lasalle surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lasalle?
Name Census estimates that about 4,129 living Americans carry the surname Lasalle. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 83,011 residents.
How common is Lasalle?
Lasalle ranks #8,743 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.20 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 3,601 people with the surname Lasalle. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,129), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.2 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.20 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 Lasalle.
Has Lasalle become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lasalle went from 3,803 recorded bearers to 3,601. That is a decrease of 202 (-5.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,646 to #8,743.
What does the Census say about the background of Lasalle?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lasalle, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (21.4%) and Black (10.6%). 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 Lasalle in the 2020 Census, accounting for 63.1% (2,272 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lasalle appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (63.1%), Hispanic (21.4%), Black (10.6%). 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 Lasalle (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 Lasalle mean?
French toponymic surname derived from any of various places named La Salle, meaning "the hall" or "the room." 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 Lasalle (1.20 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 Americans have the surname Lasalle?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.