Explore the Family Name Lapointe
The meaning of Lapointe
French: 1. soldier’s name from la pointe ‘the point (of a lance), head, tip’. 2. habitational name from Lapointe or La Pointe, names of several places in various parts of France. History: In North America, this surname was in most, if not all, cases originally a secondary surname or dit (‘also called’) name, borne by several 17th-century French Canadians, including Nicolas Audet dit Lapointe (see Audet), Étienne Godard dit Lapointe (see Godard), and Pierre Tousignant dit Lapointe (see Tousignant). Some characteristic forenames: French Emile, Andre, Armand, Marcel, Fernand, Normand, Michel, Gilles, Lucien, Aime, Cecile, Herve.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Lapointe in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data for the surname Lapointe, the name's popularity has seen a subtle shift between 2000 and 2010. Occupying the 3824th rank in 2000 with a count of 8525, it moved to the 3995th place by 2010, an increase of 369, indicating a slight decrease in popularity of 4.47%. However, the overall count of individuals named Lapointe increased by 4.33% to a total of 8894 during the same period. This decline in popularity rank despite an increase in count can be attributed to the proportion of people named Lapointe per 100k, which decreased from 3.16 in 2000 to 3.02 in 2010.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #3,824 | #3,995 | -4.47% |
| Count | 8,525 | 8,894 | 4.33% |
| Proportion per 100k | 3.16 | 3.02 | -4.43% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Lapointe
Regarding the ethnic identity of people with the surname Lapointe, the Decennial U.S. Census data reveals interesting shifts. Among those who identify as White, there was a minor decrease of 3.08% between 2000 and 2010, dropping from 90.31% to 87.53%. In contrast, those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander, Hispanic, Black, and American Indian and Alaskan Native saw increases in their proportions. The largest growth was observed in the Asian/Pacific Islander category, which surged by 85.71%, followed by the Black group with a 78.26% rise. Meanwhile, the number of people identifying as two or more races saw a modest increase of 10.61%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 90.31% | 87.53% | -3.08% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 4.6% | 4.8% | 4.35% |
| Black | 1.61% | 2.87% | 78.26% |
| Hispanic | 1.34% | 2.17% | 61.94% |
| Two or More Races | 1.79% | 1.98% | 10.61% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.35% | 0.65% | 85.71% |
Lapointe ancestry composition
23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Lapointe is British & Irish, which comprises 39.9% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (34.0%) and Eastern European (7.0%). Additional ancestries include Spanish & Portuguese, Italian, Scandinavian, Indigenous American, and Chinese.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 39.9% |
| French & German | 34.0% |
| Eastern European | 7.0% |
| Other | 19.1% |
Possible origins of the surname Lapointe
Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.
Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Lapointe have recent ancestry locations in United Kingdom and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 75.70% |
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 75.70% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 75.20% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 74.80% |
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 73.90% |
What Lapointe haplogroups can tell you
Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.
The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Lapointe is R-P311, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-P311 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include R-L51 and R-P312, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Hinckley, Tolman, Jewett, Bixby, Meador, Hardison, Shinn, Landry, Ponder, Fortin.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Lapointe surname are: H1, H, V. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins R-M343Your maternal lineage may be linked to the nomadic Tuareg of the Sahara
Though haplogroup H1 rarely reaches high frequencies beyond western Europe, over 60% of eastern Tuareg in Libya belong to haplogroup H1. The Tuareg call themselves the Imazghan, meaning “free people.” They are an isolated, semi-nomadic people who inhabit the West-Central Sahara and are known today for a distinctive dark blue turban worn by the men, and for their long history as gatekeepers of the desert.How did women carrying H1 make it all the way from western Europe to this isolated community? They likely migrated from Spain across the Strait of Gibraltar into Morocco after the Last Ice Age, where they were assimilated into the Berbers of the Mediterranean coast. Then, about 5,000 years ago, the Sahara shifted from a period of relative habitable conditions to its dramatically arid desert environment. This shift may have caused migrations throughout the Sahara, prompting the ancient Tuaregs to meet and mingle with the Berbers, bringing H1 lineages into their population.
What do people with the surname Lapointe have in common?
Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.
Preferences
Chocolate Ice Cream
Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.
"Lapointe" Surname 44.1%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Traits
Misophonia
When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.
"Lapointe" Surname 27.9%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Lapointe" Surname 22.7%
23andMe Users 21.1%
Wellness
Migraine
A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
"Lapointe" Surname 22.1%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Lapointe?
The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.
Disease variant frequency by ancestry
Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Lapointe are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition