2000
#4,708
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,881
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.55
Rare Last name
Lavigne
A French topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a vineyard or worked as a vine grower.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,908 Americans carry the last name Lavigne. That puts it at #4,951 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.31 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 43,343 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Lavigne 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
7.9K
1 in 43,343
Census rank
#4,951
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,896 bearers of the surname Lavigne in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.31 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4951st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Lavigne, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.8%. The next largest groups are Black (5.7%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Lavigne
The surname LAVIGNE originates from France, specifically the northern regions of the country. It first appeared in the late 11th century, derived from the Old French word "vigne" meaning "vineyard" or "vine". This suggests that the earliest bearers of this name may have been associated with the cultivation of grapes or vineyards.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the LAVIGNE surname can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it was spelled as "de la Vigne". This document, commissioned by William the Conqueror, was a survey of land ownership in England, indicating that some individuals with this surname may have migrated to England during the Norman conquest.
During the Middle Ages, the LAVIGNE surname was particularly prevalent in the regions of Normandy and Brittany. It was often associated with noble or wealthy families who owned vineyards or engaged in wine production. Some notable bearers of the LAVIGNE name from this period include Jean de la Vigne (c. 1370-1460), a French poet and playwright, and Guillaume de la Vigne (c. 1420-1490), a French architect known for his work on the Château de Chambord.
As the surname spread throughout France, it also adopted various spellings and regional variations, such as Lavigne, Lavine, and Lavigny. In the 16th century, the name was recorded in the registers of the city of Paris, indicating its presence in the urban areas of the country.
One of the most famous bearers of the LAVIGNE surname was Antoine de la Vigne (1549-1616), a French jurist and legal scholar who served as the President of the Parlement of Paris. Another notable figure was François de la Vigne (1639-1708), a French architect and engineer responsible for the design of several notable buildings in Paris, including the Hôtel des Invalides.
In the 18th century, the LAVIGNE name appeared in the records of French settlers in North America, particularly in the regions of Quebec and Louisiana. Jacques Lavigne (1720-1805), a French-Canadian explorer and fur trader, was one of the early bearers of this surname in the New World.
Throughout its history, the LAVIGNE surname has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including nobility, artists, scholars, and explorers. While its origins can be traced back to the vineyards of northern France, the name has since spread across different regions and continents, reflecting the diverse journeys and experiences of its bearers.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lavigne
Among Census respondents with the surname Lavigne, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.8%. The next largest groups are Black (5.7%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Lavigne 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 Lavigne surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.8% · 5,918
- Black or African American5.7% · 394
- Two or more races4.4% · 303
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 177
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 60
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 44
Timeline
Historical Census data for Lavigne
Lavigne 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
#4,891
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,204
+323 bearers (+4.7%)
Per 100,000 2.44
Rank movement Down 183 places
2020
#4,951
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,896
-308 bearers (-4.3%)
Per 100,000 2.31
Rank movement Down 60 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,708 | 6,881 | 2.55 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,891 | 7,204 | 2.44 | +323 bearers (+4.7%) | Down 183 places |
| 2020 | #4,951 | 6,896 | 2.31 | -308 bearers (-4.3%) | Down 60 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 Lavigne 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 | #4,891 | #4,951 | -1.2% |
| Count | 7,204 | 6,896 | -4.3% |
| Per 100K | 2.44 | 2.31 | -5.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Lavigne bearers went from 7,204 to 6,896 (-4.3% change). The surname moved down 60 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,891 to #4,951.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Lavigne
FAQ
Lavigne surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Lavigne?
Name Census estimates that about 7,908 living Americans carry the surname Lavigne. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 43,343 residents.
How common is Lavigne?
Lavigne ranks #4,951 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.31 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 6,896 people with the surname Lavigne. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,908), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.31 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.31 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 Lavigne.
Has Lavigne become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Lavigne went from 7,204 recorded bearers to 6,896. That is a decrease of 308 (-4.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,891 to #4,951.
What does the Census say about the background of Lavigne?
Among Census respondents with the surname Lavigne, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.8%. The next largest groups are Black (5.7%) and Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Lavigne in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.8% (5,918 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Lavigne appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.8%), Black (5.7%), Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Lavigne (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 Lavigne mean?
A French topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a vineyard or worked as a vine grower. 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 Lavigne (2.31 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 Lavigne?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.