Name Lafayette
Gender Masculine & Feminine
Usage English (American, Rare)
Pronounced Pron. lə-fəy-ET
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Meaning & History
Taken from the French surname which was derived from Old French la hêtraie "plantation of beech-trees".
In the US, it was first used in the late 1700s as a masculine given name in honor of the Marquis de Lafayette, a hero of the American War of Independence (who also left his name in a city of west-central Indiana on the Wabash River northwest of Indianapolis).
In the US, it was first used in the late 1700s as a masculine given name in honor of the Marquis de Lafayette, a hero of the American War of Independence (who also left his name in a city of west-central Indiana on the Wabash River northwest of Indianapolis).