2000
#109,328
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 150
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.06
Very Rare Last name
Adjutant
A military rank or occupational surname referring to an officer who assists a senior officer with administrative duties.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 138 Americans carry the last name Adjutant. That puts it at #142,049 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,483,727 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Adjutant surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
138
1 in 2,483,727
Census rank
#142,049
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
120
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 120 bearers of the surname Adjutant in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142049th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Adjutant, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Adjutant
The surname Adjutant has its origins in France and is derived from the French word 'adjudant', meaning an officer who assists a superior. The name likely emerged during the late medieval period, when the role of an adjutant or aide became more formalized within military ranks.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Adjutant can be found in the records of the French city of Amiens, where a Jean Adjutant is mentioned in a document dated 1492. This suggests that the name was already in use by the late 15th century, potentially adopted by individuals who served as adjutants or aides to higher-ranking officers.
In the 16th century, the surname Adjutant appears in the records of the French city of Orléans, where a family by that name was documented. This could indicate that the name had spread beyond its initial usage and was being adopted as a hereditary surname by that point.
During the 17th century, the surname Adjutant gained further prominence, with notable individuals such as Jacques Adjutant (1612-1678), a French military officer who served under Louis XIV. Another notable figure was Pierre Adjutant (1645-1718), a French historian and author who wrote extensively on the history of the French military.
As the French military expanded its influence during the 18th century, the surname Adjutant continued to be associated with military service. One prominent example was Jean-Baptiste Adjutant (1732-1804), a French general who fought in the American Revolutionary War and later served under Napoleon Bonaparte.
In the 19th century, the surname Adjutant spread beyond France, with individuals bearing the name appearing in other European countries and even in the Americas. One notable figure was Charles Adjutant (1818-1892), a French-born American soldier who fought for the Union during the American Civil War and later became a successful businessman in New York City.
While the surname Adjutant has maintained its military associations throughout history, it has also been adopted by individuals in various other professions and walks of life, reflecting the broader sense of the word 'adjutant' as an assistant or aide.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Adjutant
Among Census respondents with the surname Adjutant, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%) and Hispanic (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Adjutant bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Adjutant surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.3% · 112
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.5% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 2
- Two or more races0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Adjutant
Adjutant appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#117,480
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 148
-2 bearers (-1.3%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 8,152 places
2020
#142,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
-28 bearers (-18.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 24,569 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #109,328 | 150 | 0.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #117,480 | 148 | 0.05 | -2 bearers (-1.3%) | Down 8,152 places |
| 2020 | #142,049 | 120 | 0.04 | -28 bearers (-18.9%) | Down 24,569 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Adjutant surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #117,480 | #142,049 | -20.9% |
| Count | 148 | 120 | -18.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -19.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Adjutant bearers went from 148 to 120 (-18.9% change). The surname moved down 24,569 positions in the national ranking, going from #117,480 to #142,049.
FAQ
Adjutant surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Adjutant?
Name Census estimates that about 138 living Americans carry the surname Adjutant. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,483,727 residents.
How common is Adjutant?
Adjutant ranks #142,049 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 120 people with the surname Adjutant. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (138), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Adjutant.
Has Adjutant become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Adjutant went from 148 recorded bearers to 120. That is a decrease of 28 (-18.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #117,480 to #142,049.
What does the Census say about the background of Adjutant?
Among Census respondents with the surname Adjutant, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%) and Hispanic (1.7%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Adjutant in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.3% (112 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Adjutant appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.3%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.5%), Hispanic (1.7%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Adjutant (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Adjutant mean?
A military rank or occupational surname referring to an officer who assists a senior officer with administrative duties. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Adjutant (0.04 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people are called Adjutant?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Adjutant at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.