2000
#123,314
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 129
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Lavance
A surname derived from the Old French word "la vance," meaning "the land newly cultivated."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 125 Americans carry the last name Lavance. That puts it at #150,205 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,742,035 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lavance 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
125
1 in 2,742,035
Census rank
#150,205
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
109
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 109 bearers of the surname Lavance in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150205th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lavance, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (8.3%) and Hispanic (5.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lavance
The surname LAVANCE is believed to have originated in France during the medieval period. It is thought to derive from the Old French word "lavance," which meant "a stream" or "a small river." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near a stream or river, or perhaps even worked as a ferryman or boatman.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name LAVANCE can be found in the Livre des Métiers, a 13th-century document that listed the various trades and professions in Paris. In this text, there is a mention of a "Jean Lavance," who was listed as a boatman operating on the Seine River.
In the 14th century, the name appeared in several historical records from the region of Normandy, where it was often spelled as "Lavaunce" or "Lavauns." This variation in spelling was common during this time period, as standardized spelling conventions had not yet been established.
During the 15th and 16th centuries, the name LAVANCE began to spread beyond France, with records indicating individuals bearing this surname living in parts of England and Scotland. One notable example is Robert LAVANCE, a merchant from Rouen, France, who settled in London in the late 1500s and became a prominent figure in the city's thriving wool trade.
Another notable figure bearing this surname was Jeanne LAVANCE, a French Protestant who fled religious persecution in the late 16th century and sought refuge in Geneva, Switzerland. She is noted in historical records for her efforts in establishing a safe haven for other Huguenot refugees.
In the 17th century, the LAVANCE surname appeared in several parish records in the English county of Dorset, where it is believed a branch of the family had settled. One such record from 1628 mentions the baptism of a child named William LAVANCE in the village of Wimborne Minster.
As the centuries progressed, the LAVANCE name continued to spread throughout Europe and eventually to other parts of the world, with individuals bearing this surname making their mark in various fields, including literature, politics, and the arts. Notable examples include the French poet and essayist André LAVANCE (1870-1935) and the British artist and illustrator Evelyn LAVANCE (1888-1967).
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lavance
Among Census respondents with the surname Lavance, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (8.3%) and Hispanic (5.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Lavance 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 Lavance surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White78.0% · 85
- Two or more races8.3% · 9
- Hispanic or Latino5.5% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native5.5% · 6
- Black or African American1.8% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lavance
Lavance 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
#118,185
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 147
+18 bearers (+14.0%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 5,129 places
2020
#150,205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
-38 bearers (-25.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 32,020 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #123,314 | 129 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #118,185 | 147 | 0.05 | +18 bearers (+14.0%) | Up 5,129 places |
| 2020 | #150,205 | 109 | 0.04 | -38 bearers (-25.9%) | Down 32,020 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 Lavance 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 | #118,185 | #150,205 | -27.1% |
| Count | 147 | 109 | -25.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -27.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lavance bearers went from 147 to 109 (-25.9% change). The surname moved down 32,020 positions in the national ranking, going from #118,185 to #150,205.
FAQ
Lavance surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lavance?
Name Census estimates that about 125 living Americans carry the surname Lavance. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,742,035 residents.
How common is Lavance?
Lavance ranks #150,205 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 109 people with the surname Lavance. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (125), 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 Lavance.
Has Lavance become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lavance went from 147 recorded bearers to 109. That is a decrease of 38 (-25.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #118,185 to #150,205.
What does the Census say about the background of Lavance?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lavance, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (8.3%) and Hispanic (5.5%). 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 Lavance in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.0% (85 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lavance appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (78.0%), Two or More Races (8.3%), Hispanic (5.5%). 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 Lavance (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 Lavance mean?
A surname derived from the Old French word "la vance," meaning "the land newly cultivated." 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 Lavance (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 Americans have the surname Lavance?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.