Lafayette
Lafayette or La Fayette, is originally a surname or a toponym coming from the Occitan words la faieta and that designates a beech forest.
Meaning & Origin of Lafayette
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Lafayette or La Fayette, is originally a surname or a toponym coming from the Occitan words la faieta and that designates a beech forest.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
The Story of Lafayette
Lafayette first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1880, with 22 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1921, when 86 Lafayettes were born — ranking #698 that year. As of 2026, Lafayette ranks #7,565 for baby boys with 8 births, falling sharply (-17%). In total, more than 5K Lafayettes have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Names that sound like Lafayette
Phonetically similar names — useful when Lafayette is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
- Lafite
- Laffite
- Leaflet
- Lafitte
- Laffitte
- Leafiest
- Lofi
- Lafollette
- Layfield
- Lifemate
- Lafont
- Lafi
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Lafayette
What does the name Lafayette mean?
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About the name Lafayette
Lafayette is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 5K births in the dataset. Lafayette's peak popularity came in 1921 when it ranked #325. Use the chart and map above to compare Lafayette's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1921 →
- Names of the 1920s →
- Names starting with "L" →
- Browse all boy names →
- Top names of 2026 →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.