Given name & surname
Lafayette
“man of the faith”
Lafayette is used as a given name and a surname. One French interpretation is “man of the faith.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One French interpretation is “man of the faith.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is French.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1880. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Lafayette through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 4,882
- 4,861 boys · 21 girls
- Most popular year
- 1921
- 86 babies
- 2025
- 7
- #10,262 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −7%
- Steady
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 7 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 10,262 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 6.9% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 86 in 1921. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 1,972 as a first name in 2020; 2,341 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Lafayette’s family of names
In English usage, Lafayette has a diminutive in Lafe. Lafayette has a related form in Lafayet. Lafayette has a related form in Lafayett.
Inner ring: spellings · outer: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 7
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 3
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
People named Lafayette
- L. Ron HubbardAmerican writer and Scientology founder (1911–1986)
- Lafayette McLawsConfederate Army general (1821-1897)
- Lafayette YoungAmerican politician (1848-1926)
- Lafayette LeakeAmerican musician (1919–1990)
- Lafayette S. FosterAmerican politician (1806-1880)
- Lafayette G. PoolAmerican tank-crew and tank-platoon commander in World War II1919–1991
- Lafayette BunnellAmerican physician, explorer, and writer (1824-1903)
- Lafayette GilchristPianist and composerborn 1967
- Lafayette MendelAmerican biochemist (1872–1935)
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Lafayette, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Laurent
“a graceful woman”
90% boys · 10% girls
Lonzo
“one who is ready for battle”
>99% boys
Garnett
“resembling the dark-red gem” · “one who wields a spear”
>99% boys
Merle
“resembling a blackbird”
98% boys · 2% girls
Garland
“decorated with a wreath of flowers” · “one who is crowned”
86% boys · 14% girls
Armand
“of the army; a soldier”
>99% boys
Ray
“a wise protector” · “son of grace”
93% boys · 7% girls
Granville
“from the large village”
>99% boys