Lafourche Parish (French: Paroisse de LaFourche) is a parish located in the south of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It was originally the northern part of Lafourche Interior Parish, which consisted of the present parishes of Lafourche and Terrebonne. The parish seat is Thibodaux.

Lafourche Parish (French for "the fork") was named after Bayou Lafourche, which forms a fork where it flows out of the Mississippi River in Ascension Parish and runs the length of the Parish into the Gulf of Mexico. Bayou Lafourche is known as the "Longest Street in the World" because of its 77 continuous miles of homes spaced so closely together along the bayou.

The original inhabitants of what is now Lafourche Parish were native American tribes, namely the Washa, the Chitimacha, and the Chawasha. In the mid-1700's, Spanish and French colonists began to settle along the upper banks of Bayou Lafourche. And later during the Great Expulsion of 1755, when the British governor of Nova Scotia ordered the deportation of over 4000 Acadians, many of the refugees settled in lower Lafourche and parts of the Atchafalaya Basin.

Lafourche Parish celebrated its 200th birthday on March 31, 2007. Lafourche was one of 19 parishes carved from the Louisiana Purchase on this date in 1807.

The parish has a total area of 1,472 square miles, of which 1,085 square miles is land and 388 square miles (26.32%) is water. The population recorded in the 1830 Federal Census was 6,846. The 2010 census recorded 432,552 residents in the Parish.

Neigboring parishes are St. James Parish (north), St. John the Baptist Parish (north), St. Charles Parish (northeast), Jefferson Parish (east), Terrebonne Parish (west), and Assumption Parish (northwest). Communities in the parish include Thibodaux, Golden Meadow, Lockport, Gheens, Chackbay, Cut Off, Des Allemands, Galliano, Larose, Mathews, Port Fourchon, and Raceland.

Birth Records - The Louisiana State office maintains records for 100 years after the date of birth. Birth records are considered confidential for the first 100 years. For current information on who may obtain a birth record as well as how to submit a request visit the Office of Public Health, Vital Records Registry website or write to them at PO Box 60630, New Orleans, LA 70160.

Birth records older than 100 years are available through the Louisiana State Archives, 3851 Essen Lane, Baton Rouge, LA 70809. (225) 922-1000.

Death Records - The Louisiana State office maintains records for 100 years after the date of death. Death records are considered confidential for the first 100 years. For current information on who may obtain a death record as well as how to submit a request visit the Office of Public Health, Vital Records Registry website or write to them at PO Box 60630, New Orleans, LA 70160.

Death records older than 100 years are available through the Louisiana State Archives, 3851 Essen Lane, Baton Rouge, LA 70809. (225) 922-1000.

Marriage Records - For current information on how to submit a request for a certified copy of an Orleans Parish marriage record less than 50 years old, see the Louisiana Office of Public Health Director, Vital Records and Statistics website or write to PO Box 60630, New Orleans, LA 70160.

Certified copies for the parish are issued by Clerk of Court. For the address of the parish Clerk of Court visit the Lafourche Parish Important Addresses page.

Marriage records over 50 years are stored by the Louisiana State Archives, 3851 Essen Lane, Baton Rouge, LA 70809. (225) 922-1000.

Divorce Records - To obtain current information on how to submit a request for a certified copy of divorce records contact the Clerk of Court. For the address of the parish Clerk of Court visit the Lafourche Parish Important Addresses page.