WebMarie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier de La Fayette, Marquis de La Fayette [a] (6 September 1757 – 20 May 1834), known in the United States as Lafayette ( / ˌlɑːfiːˈɛt, ˌlæf -/, [2] French: [lafajɛt] ), was a French nobleman and military officer who volunteered to join the Continental Army, led by General George Washington, in the Americ...