2000
#5,846
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,423
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.01
Rare Last name
Lejeune
A French surname referring to a youthful or young-looking person.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,222 Americans carry the last name Lejeune. That puts it at #6,082 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.82 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 55,087 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lejeune 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 Lejeune with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.2K
1 in 55,087
Census rank
#6,082
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,426 bearers of the surname Lejeune in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.82 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6082nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lejeune, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Black (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lejeune
The surname LEJEUNE originated in France during the late medieval period. It derives from the French words "le jeune" meaning "the young," and was likely originally used as a nickname to distinguish the younger of two individuals with the same first name. The name spread throughout France, particularly in the northern and central regions.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname LEJEUNE appears in the Armorial Général of 1696, a registry of French nobility and landed gentry, where several LEJEUNE families from various provinces are listed. The LEJEUNE name can also be found in numerous parish records and census documents from the 17th and 18th centuries across France.
In the 14th century, a prominent LEJEUNE family resided in the town of Châlons-en-Champagne, located in the historical province of Champagne. Roger LEJEUNE (c. 1320 - 1392), a wealthy merchant and landowner from this family, played a significant role in the town's governance and economy.
During the Renaissance period, Jean LEJEUNE (1530 - 1596), a renowned French composer and music theorist, made significant contributions to the development of polyphonic music. His works were widely performed and studied throughout Europe.
Another notable figure was Marguerite LEJEUNE (1675 - 1755), a French novelist and playwright from Paris. Her novel "Les Aventures de Monsieur Robert Chevalier" was widely popular in its time and helped establish her reputation as a prominent female author in the 18th century.
In the 19th century, Louis LEJEUNE (1823 - 1896), a French military officer and historian, gained recognition for his works on Napoleon's campaigns and the Napoleonic Wars. His comprehensive accounts, based on extensive research and primary sources, are still regarded as valuable references.
The LEJEUNE surname also has a long-standing presence in the French-speaking regions of Belgium and Switzerland, where variations such as LEJENNE and LEJEUNNE can be found in historical records.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lejeune
Among Census respondents with the surname Lejeune, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Black (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Lejeune 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 Lejeune surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.0% · 4,883
- Two or more races3.4% · 182
- Black or African American3.2% · 173
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 146
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 31
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lejeune
Lejeune 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
#6,172
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,544
+121 bearers (+2.2%)
Per 100,000 1.88
Rank movement Down 326 places
2020
#6,082
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,426
-118 bearers (-2.1%)
Per 100,000 1.82
Rank movement Up 90 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,846 | 5,423 | 2.01 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,172 | 5,544 | 1.88 | +121 bearers (+2.2%) | Down 326 places |
| 2020 | #6,082 | 5,426 | 1.82 | -118 bearers (-2.1%) | Up 90 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 Lejeune 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 | #6,172 | #6,082 | 1.5% |
| Count | 5,544 | 5,426 | -2.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.88 | 1.82 | -3.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lejeune bearers went from 5,544 to 5,426 (-2.1% change). The surname moved up 90 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,172 to #6,082.
FAQ
Lejeune surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lejeune?
Name Census estimates that about 6,222 living Americans carry the surname Lejeune. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 55,087 residents.
How common is Lejeune?
Lejeune ranks #6,082 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.82 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 5,426 people with the surname Lejeune. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,222), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.82 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.82 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 Lejeune.
Has Lejeune become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lejeune went from 5,544 recorded bearers to 5,426. That is a decrease of 118 (-2.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #6,172 to #6,082.
What does the Census say about the background of Lejeune?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lejeune, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Black (3.2%). 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 Lejeune in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.0% (4,883 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lejeune appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.0%), Two or More Races (3.4%), Black (3.2%). 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 Lejeune (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 Lejeune mean?
A French surname referring to a youthful or young-looking person. 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 Lejeune (1.82 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 Americans have the surname Lejeune?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.