2000
#5,354
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,991
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.22
Rare Last name
Lefebvre
A French occupational surname referring to a smith or metalworker.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,148 Americans carry the last name Lefebvre. That puts it at #5,402 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.09 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 47,951 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lefebvre 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Lefebvre with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.1K
1 in 47,951
Census rank
#5,402
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,233 bearers of the surname Lefebvre in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.09 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5402nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lefebvre, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lefebvre
The surname Lefebvre is of French origin, derived from the Old French words "le" (the) and "fevre" (blacksmith or smith). It first appeared in historical records during the Middle Ages, around the 12th century, and was initially used as an occupational surname for those who worked as blacksmiths or metalworkers.
The name was particularly common in the northern regions of France, such as Normandy, Picardy, and the Île-de-France region surrounding Paris. It is believed to have originated from the Latin word "faber," meaning craftsman or worker, which evolved into the Old French word "fevre."
One of the earliest known references to the surname Lefebvre can be found in the "Domesday Book," a comprehensive survey of land ownership and resources in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The name is recorded as "Le Fevre" and is listed among the inhabitants of various towns and villages.
In the 13th century, a notable figure with the surname Lefebvre was Jacques Lefebvre, a French philosopher and theologian born around 1245. He was a prominent scholar at the University of Paris and is known for his contributions to the field of scholastic philosophy.
Another historical figure was Guillaume Lefebvre, a French mathematician and astronomer born in 1637. He made significant contributions to the development of calculus and is often referred to as one of the co-founders of the field, alongside Isaac Newton and Gottfried Leibniz.
During the French Revolution in the late 18th century, a prominent revolutionary leader named François-Joseph Lefebvre, born in 1755, played a crucial role in the events that unfolded. He rose through the ranks of the French military and became a highly respected Marshal of France, known for his military prowess and strategic abilities.
In the 19th century, a French painter named Jules Lefebvre, born in 1836, gained recognition for his academic style of painting and his depictions of historical and mythological subjects. He was a highly influential figure in the art world and served as a professor at the prestigious École des Beaux-Arts in Paris.
The surname Lefebvre has also been associated with various place names throughout France, such as Lefebvre-sur-Oise, Lefebvre-sur-Risle, and Lefebvre-en-Yvelines, reflecting the widespread presence of the name across different regions of the country.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lefebvre
Among Census respondents with the surname Lefebvre, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Lefebvre 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 Lefebvre surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.7% · 5,718
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 224
- Two or more races3.0% · 189
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 51
- Black or African American0.5% · 33
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 18
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lefebvre
Lefebvre 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
#5,454
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,381
+390 bearers (+6.5%)
Per 100,000 2.16
Rank movement Down 100 places
2020
#5,402
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,233
-148 bearers (-2.3%)
Per 100,000 2.09
Rank movement Up 52 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,354 | 5,991 | 2.22 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,454 | 6,381 | 2.16 | +390 bearers (+6.5%) | Down 100 places |
| 2020 | #5,402 | 6,233 | 2.09 | -148 bearers (-2.3%) | Up 52 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 Lefebvre 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 | #5,454 | #5,402 | 1.0% |
| Count | 6,381 | 6,233 | -2.3% |
| Per 100K | 2.16 | 2.09 | -3.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lefebvre bearers went from 6,381 to 6,233 (-2.3% change). The surname moved up 52 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,454 to #5,402.
FAQ
Lefebvre surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lefebvre?
Name Census estimates that about 7,148 living Americans carry the surname Lefebvre. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 47,951 residents.
How common is Lefebvre?
Lefebvre ranks #5,402 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.09 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,233 people with the surname Lefebvre. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,148), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.09 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.09 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Lefebvre.
Has Lefebvre become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lefebvre went from 6,381 recorded bearers to 6,233. That is a decrease of 148 (-2.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #5,454 to #5,402.
What does the Census say about the background of Lefebvre?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lefebvre, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Lefebvre in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.7% (5,718 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lefebvre appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.7%), Hispanic (3.6%), Two or More Races (3.0%). 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 Lefebvre (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 Lefebvre mean?
A French occupational surname referring to a smith or metalworker. 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 Lefebvre (2.09 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 Lefebvre?
Want to know how many people are called Lefebvre? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.