2000
#10,790
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,714
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.01
Rare Last name
Lesperance
A French surname derived from the Old French word "esperance," meaning "hope."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,242 Americans carry the last name Lesperance. That puts it at #10,781 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.95 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 105,723 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lesperance 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
3.2K
1 in 105,723
Census rank
#10,781
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,827 bearers of the surname Lesperance in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.95 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10781st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lesperance, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.1%. The next largest groups are Black (12.2%) and Hispanic (9.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lesperance
The surname Lesperance originates from France and dates back to the 11th century. It is derived from the Old French phrase "l'esperance", meaning "the hope". This name likely emerged as a descriptive surname for someone who embodied a hopeful attitude or demeanor.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Lesperance can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive record of landholders commissioned by William the Conqueror. The name is listed as "Le Esperance", referring to a landowner in the county of Sussex, England.
During the Middle Ages, variations of the spelling included "L'Esperaunce", "Lesperauns", and "Lesperaunce". These variations were common due to the inconsistencies in spelling and record-keeping at the time.
In the 14th century, the name Lesperance appeared in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire, a census-like record of landowners and their holdings. This document references a Robert Lesperance, who held land in the village of Bottisham.
One notable bearer of the name was Jean Lesperance, a French explorer and fur trader who lived in the late 16th century. He was among the first Europeans to explore the Great Lakes region of North America and establish trade routes with the indigenous peoples.
Another prominent figure was François Lesperance, a French soldier and military engineer born in 1635. He served under Louis XIV and played a crucial role in the construction of fortifications across France and its territories.
In the 18th century, Jacques Lesperance (1723-1796) was a French architect renowned for his work on several churches and public buildings in Paris and the surrounding regions.
The name Lesperance has also been associated with various place names, such as Lesperance Creek in Montana, USA, and Lesperance Lake in Ontario, Canada, both named after early settlers or explorers bearing the surname.
One of the most famous individuals with the name Lesperance was Pierre Lesperance (1856-1923), a Canadian politician and lawyer who served as a member of the House of Commons of Canada and played a significant role in the development of labor laws in the country.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lesperance
Among Census respondents with the surname Lesperance, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.1%. The next largest groups are Black (12.2%) and Hispanic (9.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Lesperance 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 Lesperance surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White74.1% · 2,094
- Black or African American12.2% · 344
- Hispanic or Latino9.1% · 258
- Two or more races2.8% · 78
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 27
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 26
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lesperance
Lesperance 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
#11,076
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,868
+154 bearers (+5.7%)
Per 100,000 0.97
Rank movement Down 286 places
2020
#10,781
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,827
-41 bearers (-1.4%)
Per 100,000 0.95
Rank movement Up 295 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,790 | 2,714 | 1.01 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,076 | 2,868 | 0.97 | +154 bearers (+5.7%) | Down 286 places |
| 2020 | #10,781 | 2,827 | 0.95 | -41 bearers (-1.4%) | Up 295 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 Lesperance 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 | #11,076 | #10,781 | 2.7% |
| Count | 2,868 | 2,827 | -1.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.97 | 0.95 | -2.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lesperance bearers went from 2,868 to 2,827 (-1.4% change). The surname moved up 295 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,076 to #10,781.
FAQ
Lesperance surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lesperance?
Name Census estimates that about 3,242 living Americans carry the surname Lesperance. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 105,723 residents.
How common is Lesperance?
Lesperance ranks #10,781 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.95 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 2,827 people with the surname Lesperance. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,242), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.95 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.95 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 Lesperance.
Has Lesperance become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lesperance went from 2,868 recorded bearers to 2,827. That is a decrease of 41 (-1.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #11,076 to #10,781.
What does the Census say about the background of Lesperance?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lesperance, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.1%. The next largest groups are Black (12.2%) and Hispanic (9.1%). 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 Lesperance in the 2020 Census, accounting for 74.1% (2,094 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lesperance appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (74.1%), Black (12.2%), Hispanic (9.1%). 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 Lesperance (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 Lesperance mean?
A French surname derived from the Old French word "esperance," meaning "hope." 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 Lesperance (0.95 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 Lesperance?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.