2000
#14,321
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,919
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.71
Rare Last name
Lesage
A French surname meaning "the wise" or "the sage."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,131 Americans carry the last name Lesage. That puts it at #15,213 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.62 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 160,842 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lesage 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 Lesage with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.1K
1 in 160,842
Census rank
#15,213
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,858 bearers of the surname Lesage in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.62 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15213th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lesage, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.2%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lesage
The surname LESAGE is of French origin, derived from the Old French word "sage," meaning "wise" or "learned." This name likely emerged during the Middle Ages, around the 12th or 13th century, and was initially used as a descriptive nickname for a wise or scholarly individual.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name LESAGE can be found in the Cartulaire de l'abbaye de Saint-Père de Chartres, a medieval manuscript dating back to the 13th century. This document mentions a certain "Robertus dictus Lesage" (Robert called Lesage) in the year 1245.
The LESAGE surname was particularly prominent in the northern regions of France, including Normandy and Picardy. It is believed that the name may have originated from the town of Sageville, located in the department of Eure in Normandy. This town's name is derived from the Latin word "sagus," meaning "wise man" or "sage."
In the 14th century, the LESAGE surname appeared in various records, such as the Trésor des Chartes, which mentions a "Jehan Lesage" in 1349. Additionally, the name is found in the Rôles de la Taille de Paris, a tax register from 1313, which lists a "Guillaume Lesage."
One notable figure bearing the LESAGE surname was Alain-René Lesage (1668-1747), a French novelist and playwright renowned for his picaresque novel "Gil Blas." Born in Sarzeau, Brittany, Lesage is considered one of the greatest French writers of the 18th century.
Another prominent individual with this surname was Jean-Baptiste Lesage (1734-1808), a French painter and engraver who specialized in portrait miniatures. He served as a court painter to Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette.
In the 19th century, the LESAGE surname gained further recognition with Auguste Lesage (1835-1911), a French sculptor who created numerous public monuments and statues in Paris and other French cities.
The name LESAGE can also be found in the literary world with the French writer and critic Alain Lesage (1938-2003), known for his works on modern literature and his contributions to literary criticism.
Lastly, it is worth mentioning Antoine Lesage (1838-1910), a French architect who designed several notable buildings in Paris, including the École Supérieure de Pharmacie and the Chapelle Notre-Dame de la Médaille Miraculeuse.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lesage
Among Census respondents with the surname Lesage, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.2%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Lesage 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 Lesage surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.1% · 1,637
- Hispanic or Latino5.2% · 96
- Two or more races3.7% · 69
- Black or African American1.2% · 23
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.2% · 22
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lesage
Lesage 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
#15,777
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,847
-72 bearers (-3.8%)
Per 100,000 0.63
Rank movement Down 1,456 places
2020
#15,213
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,858
+11 bearers (+0.6%)
Per 100,000 0.62
Rank movement Up 564 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,321 | 1,919 | 0.71 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,777 | 1,847 | 0.63 | -72 bearers (-3.8%) | Down 1,456 places |
| 2020 | #15,213 | 1,858 | 0.62 | +11 bearers (+0.6%) | Up 564 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 Lesage 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 | #15,777 | #15,213 | 3.6% |
| Count | 1,847 | 1,858 | 0.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.63 | 0.62 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lesage bearers went from 1,847 to 1,858 (+0.6% change). The surname moved up 564 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,777 to #15,213.
FAQ
Lesage surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lesage?
Name Census estimates that about 2,131 living Americans carry the surname Lesage. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 160,842 residents.
How common is Lesage?
Lesage ranks #15,213 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.62 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 1,858 people with the surname Lesage. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,131), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.62 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.62 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 Lesage.
Has Lesage become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lesage went from 1,847 recorded bearers to 1,858. That is an increase of 11 (+0.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #15,777 to #15,213.
What does the Census say about the background of Lesage?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lesage, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.2%) and Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Lesage in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.1% (1,637 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lesage appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.1%), Hispanic (5.2%), Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Lesage (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 Lesage mean?
A French surname meaning "the wise" or "the sage." 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 Lesage (0.62 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 are called Lesage?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Lesage, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.