2000
#5,463
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,857
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.17
Rare Last name
Lavelle
Derived from the French place name "La Val" or "La Valle," meaning "the valley."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,548 Americans carry the last name Lavelle. That puts it at #5,837 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.91 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 52,345 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lavelle 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Lavelle with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.5K
1 in 52,345
Census rank
#5,837
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,710 bearers of the surname Lavelle in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.91 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5837th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lavelle, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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 However, the exact location is uncertain, as many minor settlements were left unrecorded in historical documents.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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lavelle
Among Census respondents with the surname Lavelle, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Lavelle 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 Lavelle surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.7% · 5,235
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 182
- Two or more races2.7% · 153
- Black or African American1.6% · 91
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 33
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 16
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lavelle
Lavelle 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
#5,711
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,074
+217 bearers (+3.7%)
Per 100,000 2.06
Rank movement Down 248 places
2020
#5,837
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,710
-364 bearers (-6.0%)
Per 100,000 1.91
Rank movement Down 126 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,463 | 5,857 | 2.17 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,711 | 6,074 | 2.06 | +217 bearers (+3.7%) | Down 248 places |
| 2020 | #5,837 | 5,710 | 1.91 | -364 bearers (-6.0%) | Down 126 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 Lavelle 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 | #5,711 | #5,837 | -2.2% |
| Count | 6,074 | 5,710 | -6.0% |
| Per 100K | 2.06 | 1.91 | -7.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lavelle bearers went from 6,074 to 5,710 (-6.0% change). The surname moved down 126 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,711 to #5,837.
FAQ
Lavelle surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lavelle?
Name Census estimates that about 6,548 living Americans carry the surname Lavelle. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 52,345 residents.
How common is Lavelle?
Lavelle ranks #5,837 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.91 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,710 people with the surname Lavelle. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,548), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.91 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.91 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Lavelle.
Has Lavelle become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lavelle went from 6,074 recorded bearers to 5,710. That is a decrease of 364 (-6.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,711 to #5,837.
What does the Census say about the background of Lavelle?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lavelle, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Lavelle in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.7% (5,235 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lavelle appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.7%), Hispanic (3.2%), Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Lavelle (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 Lavelle mean?
Derived from the French place name "La Val" or "La Valle," meaning "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 Lavelle (1.91 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 Lavelle?
You can see how many Americans have the surname Lavelle on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.