2000
#8,444
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,594
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.33
Rare Last name
Lavalley
A French topographic surname referring to someone living in or near a valley.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,921 Americans carry the last name Lavalley. That puts it at #9,167 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.14 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 87,415 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lavalley 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
3.9K
1 in 87,415
Census rank
#9,167
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,419 bearers of the surname Lavalley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.14 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9167th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lavalley, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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In the 14th century, the name appears in various French historical documents, such as the Cartulaire de l'Abbaye de Saint-Vaast d'Arras, which mentions a Pierre de Lavallee in 1328.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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lavalley
Among Census respondents with the surname Lavalley, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Lavalley 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 Lavalley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.6% · 3,097
- Two or more races4.4% · 150
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 104
- Black or African American0.7% · 25
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 22
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 21
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lavalley
Lavalley 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
#8,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,656
+62 bearers (+1.7%)
Per 100,000 1.24
Rank movement Down 510 places
2020
#9,167
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,419
-237 bearers (-6.5%)
Per 100,000 1.14
Rank movement Down 213 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,444 | 3,594 | 1.33 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,954 | 3,656 | 1.24 | +62 bearers (+1.7%) | Down 510 places |
| 2020 | #9,167 | 3,419 | 1.14 | -237 bearers (-6.5%) | Down 213 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 Lavalley 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 | #8,954 | #9,167 | -2.4% |
| Count | 3,656 | 3,419 | -6.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.24 | 1.14 | -7.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lavalley bearers went from 3,656 to 3,419 (-6.5% change). The surname moved down 213 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,954 to #9,167.
FAQ
Lavalley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lavalley?
Name Census estimates that about 3,921 living Americans carry the surname Lavalley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 87,415 residents.
How common is Lavalley?
Lavalley ranks #9,167 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.14 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 3,419 people with the surname Lavalley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,921), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.14 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.14 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 Lavalley.
Has Lavalley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lavalley went from 3,656 recorded bearers to 3,419. That is a decrease of 237 (-6.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,954 to #9,167.
What does the Census say about the background of Lavalley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lavalley, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Lavalley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.6% (3,097 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lavalley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.6%), Two or More Races (4.4%), Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Lavalley (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 Lavalley mean?
A French topographic surname referring to someone living in or near a valley. 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 Lavalley (1.14 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 Lavalley?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.