2000
#3,648
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,952
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.32
Uncommon Last name
Lavoie
A French occupational surname referring to one who traveled the roads, a voyager or traveler.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 10,544 Americans carry the last name Lavoie. That puts it at #3,762 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.08 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 32,507 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lavoie 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
11K
1 in 32,507
Census rank
#3,762
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
9.2K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 9,195 bearers of the surname Lavoie in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.08 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3762nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lavoie, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lavoie
Among Census respondents with the surname Lavoie, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Lavoie 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 Lavoie surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.0% · 8,460
- Two or more races3.7% · 339
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 261
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 75
- Black or African American0.5% · 42
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 18
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lavoie
Lavoie 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
#3,765
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,408
+456 bearers (+5.1%)
Per 100,000 3.19
Rank movement Down 117 places
2020
#3,762
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,195
-213 bearers (-2.3%)
Per 100,000 3.08
Rank movement Up 3 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,648 | 8,952 | 3.32 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,765 | 9,408 | 3.19 | +456 bearers (+5.1%) | Down 117 places |
| 2020 | #3,762 | 9,195 | 3.08 | -213 bearers (-2.3%) | Up 3 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 Lavoie 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 | #3,765 | #3,762 | 0.1% |
| Count | 9,408 | 9,195 | -2.3% |
| Per 100K | 3.19 | 3.08 | -3.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lavoie bearers went from 9,408 to 9,195 (-2.3% change). The surname moved up 3 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,765 to #3,762.
FAQ
Lavoie surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lavoie?
Name Census estimates that about 10,544 living Americans carry the surname Lavoie. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 32,507 residents.
How common is Lavoie?
Lavoie ranks #3,762 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.08 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 9,195 people with the surname Lavoie. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (10,544), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.08 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.08 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Lavoie.
Has Lavoie become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lavoie went from 9,408 recorded bearers to 9,195. That is a decrease of 213 (-2.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #3,765 to #3,762.
What does the Census say about the background of Lavoie?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lavoie, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Lavoie in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.0% (8,460 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lavoie appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.0%), Two or More Races (3.7%), Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Lavoie (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 Lavoie mean?
A French occupational surname referring to one who traveled the roads, a voyager or traveler. 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 Lavoie (3.08 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 share the surname Lavoie?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.