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

Lefort, 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 Lefort surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Lefort in America

Lefort is the 20770th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Lefort surname appeared 1,272 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Lefort.

We can also compare 2010 data for Lefort 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 Lefort

The surname LEFORT originated in the northwestern region of France, specifically in the area around Normandy during the early medieval period. It is derived from the Old French words "le" meaning "the" and "fort" meaning "strong" or "fortified." This combination likely referred to someone who lived near a fortified structure or a location with a strong defensive position.

The earliest recorded instances of the LEFORT name can be traced back to the 11th and 12th centuries in various medieval documents and charters from Normandy. One notable example is the mention of a "Robertus Lefort" in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of land ownership commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086.

During the 12th century, the LEFORT name appeared in several records related to the Crusades, indicating that some individuals with this surname participated in the military campaigns to the Holy Land. One such individual was Guillaume LEFORT, a knight from Rouen who fought in the Third Crusade under Richard the Lionheart in the late 12th century.

In the 13th century, the LEFORT name was associated with several prominent figures in the French nobility. One noteworthy individual was Jehan LEFORT (c. 1225-1289), a powerful nobleman who served as a trusted advisor to King Louis IX (Saint Louis) and accompanied him on the Seventh Crusade.

The LEFORT surname also has a connection to the history of France's military and engineering. Pierre LEFORT (1618-1692) was a renowned military engineer and architect who oversaw the construction of several fortifications and defensive structures during the reign of Louis XIV.

Another notable figure with the LEFORT surname was François LEFORT (c. 1655-1699), a French soldier and adventurer who played a significant role in modernizing the Russian military under Peter the Great. He served as a close advisor and friend to the Tsar and helped establish Russia's first modern navy.

Over the centuries, the LEFORT name has been associated with various locations across France, including places like Le Fort in Normandy, Fort-en-Forêt in Brittany, and Fort-de-France, the capital of the French Caribbean island of Martinique. These place names likely derived from the same root words as the surname, reflecting the connection to fortified or defensive locations.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Lefort

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

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

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

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