2000
#15,110
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,791
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.66
Rare Last name
Lecroy
A French surname referring to someone from the place name Le Croi.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,056 Americans carry the last name Lecroy. That puts it at #15,680 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.60 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 166,709 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lecroy 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
2.1K
1 in 166,709
Census rank
#15,680
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,793 bearers of the surname Lecroy in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.60 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15680th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lecroy, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lecroy
The surname LECROY has its origins in France, where it emerged during the Middle Ages. The name is derived from the Old French word "croy," meaning "belief" or "faith." It is thought to have initially been a nickname for someone known for their strong religious convictions or devotion.
In its earliest recorded instances, the name appeared in various forms, including Le Croy, Le Croye, and Le Croyé. These variations reflect the regional dialects and spelling conventions of the time. The name is believed to have originated in the northern regions of France, particularly in the areas around Paris and Normandy.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Jehan Le Croy, who was mentioned in the records of the city of Paris in 1295. Another notable figure was Guillaume Le Croy, a prominent merchant and landowner in Normandy during the late 14th century.
The surname LECROY is also found in historical records from the 15th century, such as the "Livre des Bourgeois de Paris" (Book of Parisian Bourgeois), which lists several individuals with this name, including Pierre Le Croy (born around 1420) and Jehan Le Croy (born around 1435).
In the 16th century, the name appears to have spread beyond France, with records showing individuals bearing the surname in neighboring regions, including the Low Countries (modern-day Belgium and the Netherlands). One notable figure from this period was Charles de Croy (1506-1572), a nobleman and military leader in the service of the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V.
The LECROY surname has also been associated with place names, such as the village of Le Croy in the Ardennes region of France. This connection suggests that some bearers of the name may have adopted it based on their place of origin or residence.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname LECROY, including:
1. René de Croy (1491-1539), a French nobleman and military commander during the Italian Wars.
2. Charles de Croy (1623-1698), a Flemish nobleman and Prince-Bishop of Liège.
3. Marie de Croy (1605-1664), a Flemish noblewoman and the wife of Prince Albert of Arenberg.
4. Philippe de Croy (1801-1871), a Belgian politician and statesman who served as Prime Minister of Belgium.
5. Émile Le Croy (1854-1928), a French painter and illustrator known for his landscapes and portraits.
The LECROY surname has endured over the centuries, carrying with it a rich history and cultural significance rooted in the medieval traditions of France and the surrounding regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lecroy
Among Census respondents with the surname Lecroy, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Lecroy 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 Lecroy surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.8% · 1,664
- Two or more races3.2% · 57
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 47
- Black or African American0.8% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 6
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lecroy
Lecroy 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
#15,727
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,854
+63 bearers (+3.5%)
Per 100,000 0.63
Rank movement Down 617 places
2020
#15,680
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,793
-61 bearers (-3.3%)
Per 100,000 0.60
Rank movement Up 47 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #15,110 | 1,791 | 0.66 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,727 | 1,854 | 0.63 | +63 bearers (+3.5%) | Down 617 places |
| 2020 | #15,680 | 1,793 | 0.60 | -61 bearers (-3.3%) | Up 47 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 Lecroy 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 | #15,727 | #15,680 | 0.3% |
| Count | 1,854 | 1,793 | -3.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.63 | 0.60 | -4.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lecroy bearers went from 1,854 to 1,793 (-3.3% change). The surname moved up 47 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,727 to #15,680.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Lecroy
FAQ
Lecroy surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lecroy?
Name Census estimates that about 2,056 living Americans carry the surname Lecroy. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 166,709 residents.
How common is Lecroy?
Lecroy ranks #15,680 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.60 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 1,793 people with the surname Lecroy. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,056), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.6 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.60 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 Lecroy.
Has Lecroy become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lecroy went from 1,854 recorded bearers to 1,793. That is a decrease of 61 (-3.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #15,727 to #15,680.
What does the Census say about the background of Lecroy?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lecroy, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Lecroy in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.8% (1,664 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lecroy appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.8%), Two or More Races (3.2%), Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Lecroy (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 Lecroy mean?
A French surname referring to someone from the place name Le Croi. 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 Lecroy (0.60 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 Lecroy?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.