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

LaValley, 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 LaValley surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of LaValley in America

LaValley is the 8954th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The LaValley surname appeared 3,656 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 LaValley.

We can also compare 2010 data for LaValley 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 LaValley

The surname Lavalley has its origins in France, where it first emerged in the 12th century. The name is derived from the Old French words "la" meaning "the" and "vallee" meaning "valley," indicating that the earliest bearers of this surname lived in or near a valley.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Lavalley name can be found in the Livre des Bourgeois de la Ville de Reims, a historical record of the citizens of Reims, France, dating back to the late 13th century. This document mentions a certain Jean Lavallee, suggesting that variations of the spelling were already in use at that time.

In the 14th century, the name appears in various French historical documents, such as the Cartulaire de l'Abbaye de Saint-Vaast d'Arras, which mentions a Pierre de Lavallee in 1328. This confirms the presence of the Lavalley surname in the northern regions of France during the medieval period.

As the name spread throughout France, it became associated with several place names, including La Vallée in the Normandy region and Laval in the Pays de la Loire region. It is possible that some early bearers of the Lavalley surname may have originated from or lived near these locations.

Notable individuals with the Lavalley surname throughout history include:

1. Jean-Baptiste Lavalley (1668-1738), a French architect and sculptor known for his work on the Basilica of St. Remi in Reims.
2. Marie-Madeleine Lavalley (1732-1808), a French painter and engraver who was a member of the Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture.
3. Jacques Lavalley (1792-1867), a French military officer who served under Napoleon Bonaparte and participated in several major campaigns during the Napoleonic Wars.
4. Émile Lavalley (1825-1901), a French poet and writer who was a member of the Parnassian literary movement.
5. Léon Lavalley (1879-1944), a French Catholic priest and missionary who dedicated his life to serving the poor in Africa.

While the Lavalley surname has its roots in France, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and immigration. However, the earliest recorded instances and historical references primarily stem from the French regions, where the name originated and was first documented.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name LaValley

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

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

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

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