2000
#9,779
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,051
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.13
Rare Last name
Lecompte
A French occupational surname referring to a steward or accountant who managed finances for noble households.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,395 Americans carry the last name Lecompte. That puts it at #10,339 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.99 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 100,959 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lecompte 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
3.4K
1 in 100,959
Census rank
#10,339
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,961 bearers of the surname Lecompte in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.99 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10339th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lecompte, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.8%. The next largest groups are Black (5.2%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lecompte
The surname LECOMPTE has its origins in France, dating back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Old French phrase "le comte," meaning "the count" or "the earl." This suggests that the name may have initially been bestowed upon someone who held a position of authority or nobility within the feudal system.
During the Middle Ages, surnames were often derived from occupations, personal attributes, or locations. In the case of LECOMPTE, it is believed to have originated as a descriptive name, referring to an individual who held the esteemed position of a count or earl.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the 13th century manuscript "Cartulaire de l'abbaye de Jumièges," which mentions a person named "Johannes le Comte." This document provides evidence of the name's existence and usage during that time period.
In the 14th century, the name LECOMPTE appeared in various records, including the "Rôles de l'Échiquier de Normandie" and the "Censier de l'Abbaye de Saint-Germain-des-Prés." These sources suggest that the name was prevalent in the regions of Normandy and Paris.
One notable figure bearing the surname LECOMPTE was Jean Lecompte (1620-1693), a French painter and engraver known for his religious works and portraits. He was a member of the Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture and gained recognition for his artistic contributions during the Baroque period.
Another prominent individual was Charles Lecompte (1758-1834), a French politician and lawyer who served as a deputy in the National Convention during the French Revolution. He played a role in the abolition of feudalism and the establishment of the First French Republic.
In the 18th century, the name LECOMPTE was associated with a noble family from the Picardy region of northern France. Jacques-François Lecompte (1742-1823) was a member of this family and served as a military officer during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars.
The surname LECOMPTE also has connections to historical places and locations. For instance, the town of Lecompte in Rapides Parish, Louisiana, was named after a French immigrant named Michael Lecompte, who settled in the area in the early 19th century.
Throughout its history, the surname LECOMPTE has been spelled in various ways, including Le Compte, Lecompte, and Le Comte, reflecting the evolution of language and regional variations in spelling and pronunciation.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lecompte
Among Census respondents with the surname Lecompte, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.8%. The next largest groups are Black (5.2%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Lecompte 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 Lecompte surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.8% · 2,480
- Black or African American5.2% · 153
- Two or more races3.9% · 115
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 101
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.8% · 82
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 30
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lecompte
Lecompte 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
#10,326
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,120
+69 bearers (+2.3%)
Per 100,000 1.06
Rank movement Down 547 places
2020
#10,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,961
-159 bearers (-5.1%)
Per 100,000 0.99
Rank movement Down 13 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,779 | 3,051 | 1.13 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,326 | 3,120 | 1.06 | +69 bearers (+2.3%) | Down 547 places |
| 2020 | #10,339 | 2,961 | 0.99 | -159 bearers (-5.1%) | Down 13 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 Lecompte 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 | #10,326 | #10,339 | -0.1% |
| Count | 3,120 | 2,961 | -5.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.06 | 0.99 | -6.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lecompte bearers went from 3,120 to 2,961 (-5.1% change). The surname moved down 13 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,326 to #10,339.
FAQ
Lecompte surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lecompte?
Name Census estimates that about 3,395 living Americans carry the surname Lecompte. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 100,959 residents.
How common is Lecompte?
Lecompte ranks #10,339 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.99 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 2,961 people with the surname Lecompte. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,395), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.99 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.99 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 Lecompte.
Has Lecompte become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lecompte went from 3,120 recorded bearers to 2,961. That is a decrease of 159 (-5.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,326 to #10,339.
What does the Census say about the background of Lecompte?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lecompte, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.8%. The next largest groups are Black (5.2%) and Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Lecompte in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.8% (2,480 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lecompte appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.8%), Black (5.2%), Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Lecompte (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 Lecompte mean?
A French occupational surname referring to a steward or accountant who managed finances for noble households. 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 Lecompte (0.99 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 Lecompte?
Want to know how many people are called Lecompte? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.