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

Lavoie, 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 Lavoie surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Lavoie in America

Lavoie is the 3765th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Lavoie surname appeared 9,408 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Lavoie.

We can also compare 2010 data for Lavoie 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 Lavoie

The surname LAVOIE originated in France, specifically in the northwestern region of Normandy, during the late Middle Ages. It derives from the Old French words "la" meaning "the" and "voie" meaning "way" or "road." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near a prominent road or pathway.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name LAVOIE can be found in the Normandy region's tax rolls from the 14th century. It appears in various spellings, such as "La Voye" and "De la Voye," reflecting the fluidity of surname spellings during that time.

In the late 15th century, the name LAVOIE is mentioned in a legal document from the town of Rouen, Normandy, when a certain Jean LAVOIE was involved in a property dispute. This provides evidence of the surname's presence in the area during the Renaissance period.

As the French began exploring and settling in North America in the 17th and 18th centuries, the LAVOIE name spread to the colonies. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in Canada is that of François LAVOIE, born in 1654 in Quebec City. He is considered one of the progenitors of the LAVOIE lineage in Canada.

Another notable figure bearing the LAVOIE surname was Pierre LAVOIE (1642-1707), a French-born merchant and landowner who established himself in the Acadian region of what is now Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. His descendants played a significant role in the development of these maritime provinces.

In the 19th century, one of the most prominent individuals with the LAVOIE surname was Édouard LAVOIE (1812-1884), a Quebec-born lawyer and politician who served as a member of the Canadian Parliament. He was instrumental in advocating for the rights of French-Canadians during a period of significant political change.

Another noteworthy LAVOIE was Marie-Rose LAVOIE (1849-1930), a French-Canadian educator and author from Quebec. She founded several educational institutions and wrote extensively on the importance of education for women and the preservation of French-Canadian culture.

The LAVOIE surname has also been associated with various place names throughout history. For example, the hamlet of Lavoie in the Normandy region of France, as well as several smaller villages and localities in Quebec, Canada, bear this name, likely due to the presence of LAVOIE families in those areas.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Lavoie

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

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

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

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