2000
#5,927
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,348
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.98
Rare Last name
Lessard
An occupational French surname referring to a woodcutter or sawyer.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,910 Americans carry the last name Lessard. That puts it at #6,343 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.72 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 57,996 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lessard 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
5.9K
1 in 57,996
Census rank
#6,343
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,154 bearers of the surname Lessard in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.72 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6343rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lessard, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lessard
The surname Lessard originated in France and is derived from the Old French word "lessart," which referred to a piece of land that had been cleared or cultivated. This suggests that the name likely originated with someone who worked as a farmer or cultivator of land.
The earliest recorded instances of the name date back to the 13th century in the region of Normandy, France. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Geoffroy Lessart, who was mentioned in records from the village of Rouen in 1285.
During the Middle Ages, the Lessard name appeared in various medieval records and manuscripts, such as the Livre des Bourgeois de Rouen (Book of Bourgeois of Rouen), which documented the names of prominent citizens in the city.
The name Lessard is also associated with several place names in France, such as Lessart and Lessart-et-le-Chêne, which likely derived their names from the Old French word "lessart." These place names may have contributed to the spread and adoption of the surname in their respective regions.
Notable individuals with the surname Lessard throughout history include:
1. Guillaume Lessard (c. 1550-1620), a French poet and playwright from Normandy.
2. Jean-Baptiste Lessard (1629-1695), a French-Canadian explorer and fur trader who helped establish settlements in New France.
3. Marie-Reine Lessard (1754-1842), a French-Canadian midwife and folk healer known for her work in the Quebec region.
4. Louis-Nazaire Lessard (1828-1909), a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as a member of the Senate of Canada.
5. Renée Lessard (1914-2007), a French actress and singer who appeared in numerous films and stage productions during the mid-20th century.
While the Lessard name has its roots in France, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through French immigration and colonization. However, the earliest and most significant historical references to the name can be traced back to its origins in the regions of Normandy and the surrounding areas of northern France.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lessard
Among Census respondents with the surname Lessard, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Lessard 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 Lessard surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.5% · 4,765
- Two or more races3.1% · 161
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 144
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 40
- Black or African American0.4% · 23
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 21
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lessard
Lessard 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
#6,137
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,582
+234 bearers (+4.4%)
Per 100,000 1.89
Rank movement Down 210 places
2020
#6,343
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,154
-428 bearers (-7.7%)
Per 100,000 1.72
Rank movement Down 206 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,927 | 5,348 | 1.98 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,137 | 5,582 | 1.89 | +234 bearers (+4.4%) | Down 210 places |
| 2020 | #6,343 | 5,154 | 1.72 | -428 bearers (-7.7%) | Down 206 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 Lessard 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 | #6,137 | #6,343 | -3.4% |
| Count | 5,582 | 5,154 | -7.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.89 | 1.72 | -8.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lessard bearers went from 5,582 to 5,154 (-7.7% change). The surname moved down 206 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,137 to #6,343.
FAQ
Lessard surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lessard?
Name Census estimates that about 5,910 living Americans carry the surname Lessard. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 57,996 residents.
How common is Lessard?
Lessard ranks #6,343 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.72 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 5,154 people with the surname Lessard. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,910), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.72 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.72 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 Lessard.
Has Lessard become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lessard went from 5,582 recorded bearers to 5,154. That is a decrease of 428 (-7.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,137 to #6,343.
What does the Census say about the background of Lessard?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lessard, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Lessard in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.5% (4,765 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lessard appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.5%), Two or More Races (3.1%), Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Lessard (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 Lessard mean?
An occupational French surname referring to a woodcutter or sawyer. 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 Lessard (1.72 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 surname Lessard?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.