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

Lavelle, 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 Lavelle surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Lavelle in America

Lavelle is the 5711th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Lavelle surname appeared 6,074 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Lavelle.

We can also compare 2010 data for Lavelle 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 Lavelle

The surname Lavelle is of French origin, dating back to the early medieval period. It is believed to have originated in the Normandy region of northern France, where it was likely derived from a place name or a descriptive nickname.

One theory suggests that Lavelle is a locational surname, derived from a small village or hamlet in Normandy. However, the exact location is uncertain, as many minor settlements were left unrecorded in historical documents. Another possibility is that the name stems from a Old French word or phrase that described a particular physical feature or occupation.

The earliest known record of the Lavelle surname appears in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landowners and property holders in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. This suggests that the name had already been established in Normandy before the Norman Conquest of England in 1066.

During the Middle Ages, the Lavelle family likely spread across various regions of France and England, with some members possibly migrating to other parts of Europe as well. Notable individuals bearing this surname include Jean Lavelle, a French nobleman who fought in the Hundred Years' War (1337-1453), and Robert Lavelle, an English merchant and landowner born in 1462.

In the 16th century, the Lavelle name appears in records from Ireland, where it may have been adopted by Anglo-Norman settlers or adapted from the Irish Gaelic name Ó Laimhín. One notable Irish figure was Patrick Lavelle (1540-1612), a Catholic priest and scholar who was influential in the Counter-Reformation.

Another notable Lavelle was Claude Lavelle (1642-1711), a French botanist and author who published several works on plant species in the late 17th century. In the 18th century, Marie Lavelle (1715-1792) was a renowned French opera singer who performed at the Paris Opera.

The Lavelle surname continued to be found across various parts of Europe and beyond, with individuals like William Lavelle (1801-1876), an English explorer and surveyor who worked in Australia, and Miguel Lavelle (1860-1926), a Mexican politician and diplomat who served as ambassador to several countries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Lavelle

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

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

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

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