Lafayette is the most populous city in the Acadiana region, it is the fourth most populous city in the state of Louisiana (after New Orleans, Baton Rouge and Shreveport). The original name was Vermilionville, as which it was founded around 1821. The name Lafayette comes from the name of a French military hero who fought with and helped the American Army during the American Revolutionary War. In 2020 the population was over one hundred and twenty thousand. The city lies in Lafayette Parish.