2000
#118,236
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 136
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Lavalliere
A French surname derived from the word "vallière" meaning "inhabitant of the valley".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 126 Americans carry the last name Lavalliere. That puts it at #149,446 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,720,273 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lavalliere 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
126
1 in 2,720,273
Census rank
#149,446
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
110
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 110 bearers of the surname Lavalliere in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 149446th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lavalliere, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.9%. The next largest groups are Black (10.9%) and Hispanic (8.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lavalliere
The surname LAVALLIERE originated in France during the Middle Ages. It is believed to be derived from the Old French "la vallière," meaning "the valley," likely referring to someone who lived in or near a valley.
The name first appeared in official records in the 11th century, with the earliest known reference being a nobleman named Robert de la Valliere, who lived in the Normandy region of France in the late 11th century.
In the 12th century, the name was further documented in the Cartulaire de Cluny, a collection of charters and documents from the famous Cluny Abbey in Burgundy, France. One entry from 1156 mentions a certain Henri de la Valliere, a landowner in the region.
During the Hundred Years' War between England and France in the 14th and 15th centuries, the LAVALLIERE name gained prominence with the exploits of Jean de la Valliere, a French military commander who fought bravely against the English forces. Born around 1380, he was known for his defense of the city of Rouen in 1419.
In the 16th century, the LAVALLIERE surname spread to other parts of France, with records showing branches of the family in regions such as Brittany and Provence. A notable bearer of the name during this time was Louise de la Vallière, a celebrated French courtier and the mistress of King Louis XIV. Born in 1644, she was known for her beauty and her influential role at the court of Versailles.
Over the centuries, the LAVALLIERE name has produced several other notable individuals, including François de la Vallière (1617-1680), a French nobleman and military leader, and Louis-César de la Baume Le Blanc, Duc de La Vallière (1708-1780), a French aristocrat and statesman.
In the 19th century, the LAVALLIERE name gained literary recognition with the French author and playwright Auguste Maquet, whose full name was Auguste-Édouard-Pierre Maquet de la Valliere (1813-1888). He is best known for his collaboration with Alexandre Dumas on novels like "The Three Musketeers" and "The Count of Monte Cristo."
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lavalliere
Among Census respondents with the surname Lavalliere, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.9%. The next largest groups are Black (10.9%) and Hispanic (8.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Lavalliere 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 Lavalliere surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.9% · 89
- Black or African American10.9% · 12
- Hispanic or Latino8.2% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lavalliere
Lavalliere 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
#123,064
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 140
+4 bearers (+2.9%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 4,828 places
2020
#149,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
-30 bearers (-21.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 26,382 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #118,236 | 136 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #123,064 | 140 | 0.05 | +4 bearers (+2.9%) | Down 4,828 places |
| 2020 | #149,446 | 110 | 0.04 | -30 bearers (-21.4%) | Down 26,382 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 Lavalliere 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 | #123,064 | #149,446 | -21.4% |
| Count | 140 | 110 | -21.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -26.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lavalliere bearers went from 140 to 110 (-21.4% change). The surname moved down 26,382 positions in the national ranking, going from #123,064 to #149,446.
FAQ
Lavalliere surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lavalliere?
Name Census estimates that about 126 living Americans carry the surname Lavalliere. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,720,273 residents.
How common is Lavalliere?
Lavalliere ranks #149,446 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 110 people with the surname Lavalliere. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (126), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Lavalliere.
Has Lavalliere become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lavalliere went from 140 recorded bearers to 110. That is a decrease of 30 (-21.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #123,064 to #149,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Lavalliere?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lavalliere, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.9%. The next largest groups are Black (10.9%) and Hispanic (8.2%). 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 Lavalliere in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.9% (89 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lavalliere appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.9%), Black (10.9%), Hispanic (8.2%). 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 Lavalliere (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 Lavalliere mean?
A French surname derived from the word "vallière" meaning "inhabitant of the 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 Lavalliere (0.04 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 Lavalliere?
If you just want to know how many people have the last name Lavalliere, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.