La
A short surname that is often tied to French, Vietnamese, or other East and Southeast Asian naming traditions, depending on family origin.
The #5,242 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 46,393 Americans shares it.
Etymology
As a surname, La can arise from several different naming traditions, so its meaning depends heavily on the family line. In French and Italian contexts it may be a shortened or article-like element in a longer original form, while in Vietnamese and some Chinese romanizations it can reflect different native surnames rendered in the Latin alphabet. Because this spelling is extremely brief, it is best treated as a multi-origin surname rather than one with a single clear root.
History
The surname appears in modern records in more than one cultural setting, especially in communities with French, Vietnamese, Chinese, and other Asian backgrounds. In the United States it is relatively uncommon and may represent unrelated families whose names happen to be spelled the same in Roman letters. For genealogy, the family’s country of origin is usually more informative than the spelling alone.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Because La is so short, it can be especially tricky in records: the same spelling may hide several completely different surnames from different languages.