2000
#4,538
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,176
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.66
Rare Last name
Laporte
A French topographic surname referring to someone who lived near the gates of a town or city.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,892 Americans carry the last name Laporte. That puts it at #4,955 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.30 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 43,431 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Laporte 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 Laporte with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.9K
1 in 43,431
Census rank
#4,955
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,882 bearers of the surname Laporte in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.30 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4955th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Laporte, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.6%) and Black (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Laporte
The surname LAPORTE originated in France, likely emerging during the medieval period. It is derived from the French phrase "la porte," which translates to "the gate" or "the door." This suggests that the name may have been initially associated with individuals who lived near or worked at a significant gate or entrance.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the LAPORTE name can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The entry mentions a Norman landowner named Robert de la Porte, indicating that the name had already been established in France before being introduced to England following the Norman conquest.
In the 13th century, records show a LAPORTE family residing in the northern French region of Normandy. This area was known for its strategic fortifications and gatehouses, which may have influenced the origin of the name.
During the 16th century, a notable figure named Jean de LAPORTE (1515-1572) was a French composer and music theorist. He served as the choirmaster at the Sainte-Chapelle in Paris and contributed significantly to the development of Renaissance polyphonic music.
In the 18th century, Pierre de LAPORTE (1719-1792) was a French politician and diplomat who served as the Minister of the Civic Guard during the early years of the French Revolution. He was tragically killed during the September Massacres of 1792, which marked a turning point in the revolutionary violence.
Another prominent individual with the LAPORTE surname was Émile de LAPORTE (1837-1907), a French architect who designed several notable buildings in Paris, including the Musée des Arts et Métiers and the Église Saint-Pierre de Montrouge.
In the realm of literature, the French novelist and playwright Georges de LAPORTE (1888-1971) gained recognition for his works exploring themes of love, desire, and societal conventions.
Over the centuries, variations of the LAPORTE name have emerged, such as Laport, Delaporte, and Delporte, reflecting regional linguistic differences and spelling conventions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Laporte
Among Census respondents with the surname Laporte, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.6%) and Black (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Laporte 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 Laporte surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.0% · 5,505
- Hispanic or Latino10.6% · 729
- Black or African American4.7% · 326
- Two or more races3.4% · 236
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 46
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 40
Timeline
Historical Census data for Laporte
Laporte 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
#4,711
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,528
+352 bearers (+4.9%)
Per 100,000 2.55
Rank movement Down 173 places
2020
#4,955
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,882
-646 bearers (-8.6%)
Per 100,000 2.30
Rank movement Down 244 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,538 | 7,176 | 2.66 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,711 | 7,528 | 2.55 | +352 bearers (+4.9%) | Down 173 places |
| 2020 | #4,955 | 6,882 | 2.30 | -646 bearers (-8.6%) | Down 244 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 Laporte 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 | #4,711 | #4,955 | -5.2% |
| Count | 7,528 | 6,882 | -8.6% |
| Per 100K | 2.55 | 2.30 | -9.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Laporte bearers went from 7,528 to 6,882 (-8.6% change). The surname moved down 244 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,711 to #4,955.
FAQ
Laporte surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Laporte?
Name Census estimates that about 7,892 living Americans carry the surname Laporte. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 43,431 residents.
How common is Laporte?
Laporte ranks #4,955 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.30 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 6,882 people with the surname Laporte. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,892), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.3 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.30 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 Laporte.
Has Laporte become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Laporte went from 7,528 recorded bearers to 6,882. That is a decrease of 646 (-8.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,711 to #4,955.
What does the Census say about the background of Laporte?
Among Census respondents with the surname Laporte, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (10.6%) and Black (4.7%). 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 Laporte in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.0% (5,505 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Laporte appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.0%), Hispanic (10.6%), Black (4.7%). 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 Laporte (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 Laporte mean?
A French topographic surname referring to someone who lived near the gates of a town or city. 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 Laporte (2.30 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 last name Laporte?
You can see how many people have the last name Laporte on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.