2000
#146,011
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Lavanchy
A topographic name of French origin denoting someone who lived near a watering place or pond.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 115 Americans carry the last name Lavanchy. That puts it at #155,682 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,980,473 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lavanchy 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
115
1 in 2,980,473
Census rank
#155,682
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
100
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 100 bearers of the surname Lavanchy in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 155682nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lavanchy, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (13.0%) and Two or More Races (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lavanchy
The surname Lavanchy is of French origin, originating from the village of Lavanchy in the canton of Vaud, Switzerland. The name is derived from the Gallo-Roman personal name Lavantius, which is believed to have its roots in the Latin word "lavare," meaning "to wash" or "to bathe."
Historically, the name Lavanchy can be traced back to the 12th century in records from the region of Vaud. One of the earliest known references to the name appears in a document from 1219, where a certain Willelmus de Lavanchie is mentioned as a witness to a land transaction.
In the 14th century, the Lavanchy family played a significant role in the political and military affairs of the region. Jean de Lavanchy, born around 1320, was a prominent knight and commander of the Swiss forces during the Burgundian Wars. He is recorded as having fought valiantly in the Battle of Morat in 1476.
The name Lavanchy also appears in several historical manuscripts and documents from the 15th and 16th centuries. For instance, a Petrus Lavanchy is mentioned in a legal document from the year 1487, relating to a dispute over property rights in the village of Lavanchy.
One of the most notable individuals bearing the surname Lavanchy was Michel Lavanchy, a Swiss theologian and Protestant reformer born in 1528. He was a close associate of John Calvin and played a crucial role in the establishment of the Reformed Church in Switzerland.
Other noteworthy figures include Jacques Lavanchy (1624-1692), a Swiss painter and engraver known for his religious and allegorical works, and Jean-Pierre Lavanchy (1753-1825), a Swiss military officer who served in the Napoleonic Wars and rose to the rank of Brigadier General.
It is worth mentioning that the name Lavanchy has also been associated with various place names in Switzerland, such as the village of Lavanchy itself, as well as the hamlets of Lavanchettes and Lavanchie, which are believed to have derived their names from the original surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lavanchy
Among Census respondents with the surname Lavanchy, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (13.0%) and Two or More Races (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Lavanchy 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 Lavanchy surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.0% · 86
- Hispanic or Latino13.0% · 13
- Two or more races1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lavanchy
Lavanchy 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
#160,975
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
-4 bearers (-3.8%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 14,964 places
2020
#155,682
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 5,293 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #146,011 | 104 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #160,975 | 100 | 0.03 | -4 bearers (-3.8%) | Down 14,964 places |
| 2020 | #155,682 | 100 | 0.03 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Up 5,293 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 Lavanchy 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 | #160,975 | #155,682 | 3.3% |
| Count | 100 | 100 | 0.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.03 | 11.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lavanchy bearers went from 100 to 100 (+0.0% change). The surname moved up 5,293 positions in the national ranking, going from #160,975 to #155,682.
FAQ
Lavanchy surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lavanchy?
Name Census estimates that about 115 living Americans carry the surname Lavanchy. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,980,473 residents.
How common is Lavanchy?
Lavanchy ranks #155,682 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 100 people with the surname Lavanchy. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (115), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Lavanchy.
Has Lavanchy become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lavanchy went from 100 recorded bearers to 100. That is an increase of 0 (+0.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #160,975 to #155,682.
What does the Census say about the background of Lavanchy?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lavanchy, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (13.0%) and Two or More Races (1.0%). 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 Lavanchy in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.0% (86 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lavanchy appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.0%), Hispanic (13.0%), Two or More Races (1.0%). 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 Lavanchy (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 Lavanchy mean?
A topographic name of French origin denoting someone who lived near a watering place or pond. 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 Lavanchy (0.03 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 Lavanchy?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.