2000
#8,994
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,342
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.24
Rare Last name
Lavergne
French topographic surname denoting someone living near an alder grove, derived from Old French "verne" meaning "alder tree."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,984 Americans carry the last name Lavergne. That puts it at #9,026 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.16 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 86,033 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lavergne 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
4.0K
1 in 86,033
Census rank
#9,026
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,474 bearers of the surname Lavergne in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.16 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9026th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lavergne, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.7%. The next largest groups are Black (21.3%) and Hispanic (6.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lavergne
The surname LAVERGNE is of French origin, deriving from the Old French phrase "la vergne", which means "the alder grove". The name first emerged in the 12th century in the regions of Limousin and Auvergne in central France.
LAVERGNE is a topographical surname, indicating that the original bearer of the name lived near or came from an area with alder trees. Alder groves were a common feature in the French countryside during the Middle Ages, providing wood for construction, fuel, and other practical purposes.
The earliest recorded use of the LAVERGNE surname can be found in the Cartulaire de Charroux, a medieval manuscript from the Charroux Abbey in Poitou, dating back to 1172. This document mentions a certain "Petrus de la Vergne" (Peter of the Alder Grove).
In the 13th century, the name appears in various forms, such as "de la Verne", "de la Verne", and "de la Vergne", reflecting regional spelling variations. One notable bearer of the name was Hugues de la Vergne, a troubadour from Auvergne who lived around 1250.
During the 14th century, the LAVERGNE surname gained wider recognition. In 1342, a certain Etienne LAVERGNE was recorded as a landowner in the village of Montbrison in the Auvergne region.
As the name spread across France, it evolved into different spellings, including LAVERGNE, LAVERNE, and LAVERGNE. Some variants, like LAVERGNE and LAVERNE, were more common in northern France, while LAVERGNE was prevalent in the south.
Notable individuals with the LAVERGNE surname throughout history include:
1. Pierre LAVERGNE (1570-1635), a French Catholic priest and theologian from Auvergne.
2. Gabriel LAVERGNE (1636-1692), a French Baroque painter known for his religious and mythological works.
3. Marie-Gabrielle LAVERGNE (1754-1833), a French writer and educator who founded the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Bordeaux.
4. Louis-Gabriel LAVERGNE (1808-1881), a French agronomist and political economist who wrote extensively on rural economics and agricultural policies.
5. Alexandre LAVERGNE (1834-1908), a French artist and painter known for his landscapes and genre scenes.
The LAVERGNE surname has its roots in the rural landscape of central France, where alder groves were a common sight. Over the centuries, it has become a well-established surname across France and beyond, reflecting the country's rich cultural and historical heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lavergne
Among Census respondents with the surname Lavergne, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.7%. The next largest groups are Black (21.3%) and Hispanic (6.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Lavergne 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 Lavergne surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White68.7% · 2,387
- Black or African American21.3% · 740
- Hispanic or Latino6.1% · 211
- Two or more races3.0% · 104
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 20
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lavergne
Lavergne 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
#9,227
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,529
+187 bearers (+5.6%)
Per 100,000 1.20
Rank movement Down 233 places
2020
#9,026
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,474
-55 bearers (-1.6%)
Per 100,000 1.16
Rank movement Up 201 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,994 | 3,342 | 1.24 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,227 | 3,529 | 1.20 | +187 bearers (+5.6%) | Down 233 places |
| 2020 | #9,026 | 3,474 | 1.16 | -55 bearers (-1.6%) | Up 201 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 Lavergne 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 | #9,227 | #9,026 | 2.2% |
| Count | 3,529 | 3,474 | -1.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.20 | 1.16 | -3.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lavergne bearers went from 3,529 to 3,474 (-1.6% change). The surname moved up 201 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,227 to #9,026.
FAQ
Lavergne surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lavergne?
Name Census estimates that about 3,984 living Americans carry the surname Lavergne. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 86,033 residents.
How common is Lavergne?
Lavergne ranks #9,026 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.16 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,474 people with the surname Lavergne. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,984), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.16 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.16 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Lavergne.
Has Lavergne become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lavergne went from 3,529 recorded bearers to 3,474. That is a decrease of 55 (-1.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #9,227 to #9,026.
What does the Census say about the background of Lavergne?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lavergne, the largest self-reported group is White at 68.7%. The next largest groups are Black (21.3%) and Hispanic (6.1%). 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 Lavergne in the 2020 Census, accounting for 68.7% (2,387 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lavergne appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (68.7%), Black (21.3%), Hispanic (6.1%). 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 Lavergne (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 Lavergne mean?
French topographic surname denoting someone living near an alder grove, derived from Old French "verne" meaning "alder tree." 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 Lavergne (1.16 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 surname Lavergne?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.