2000
#124,872
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 127
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Agnant
A French surname of uncertain origin, possibly derived from the Old French word "aignant," meaning "lamb."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 200 Americans carry the last name Agnant. That puts it at #108,494 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.06 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,713,772 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Agnant 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
200
1 in 1,713,772
Census rank
#108,494
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
174
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 174 bearers of the surname Agnant in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.06 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 108494th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Agnant, the largest self-reported group is Black at 85.1%. The next largest groups are White (5.7%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Agnant
The surname AGNANT originated in France and can be traced back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old French word "agnant," which means "lamb" or "young sheep." This suggests that the name may have originally been a descriptive nickname for someone who worked with lambs or sheep.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the AGNANT surname can be found in the Chartulary of Notre-Dame de Paris, a medieval cartulary containing documents related to the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris. The document, dated 1189, mentions a certain "Guillelmus Agnant" who was a landowner in the region.
During the 13th century, the AGNANT surname appeared in various records across northern France, particularly in the regions of Normandy and Picardy. It is likely that the name spread to other parts of the country through migration and intermarriage.
In the 14th century, the AGNANT surname can be found in the records of the Hundred Years' War, a prolonged conflict between England and France. One notable bearer of the name was Jean AGNANT, a French soldier who fought in the Battle of Crécy in 1346.
The AGNANT surname has also been linked to several place names in France, such as Agnant-le-Vicomte and Agnant-le-Petit, both located in the department of Marne. These place names may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname over time.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals with the AGNANT surname. One such person was Pierre AGNANT (1594-1667), a French mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the study of celestial mechanics and the calculation of planetary orbits.
Another prominent bearer of the AGNANT surname was Marie-Anne AGNANT (1720-1792), a French novelist and playwright who was active during the Age of Enlightenment. Her works, which often explored themes of social criticism and gender equality, were widely read and acclaimed in her time.
In the 19th century, Jean-Baptiste AGNANT (1807-1876) was a French politician and lawyer who served as a member of the French National Assembly and played a role in the establishment of the Third French Republic.
The AGNANT surname has also been carried by artists and intellectuals, such as the French painter and illustrator Louis AGNANT (1856-1924) and the Haitian writer and anthropologist Jacques AGNANT (1889-1958), who was instrumental in preserving and documenting the cultural heritage of Haiti.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Agnant
Among Census respondents with the surname Agnant, the largest self-reported group is Black at 85.1%. The next largest groups are White (5.7%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Agnant 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 Agnant surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American85.1% · 148
- White5.7% · 10
- Two or more races4.6% · 8
- Hispanic or Latino2.3% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Agnant
Agnant 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
#109,258
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 162
+35 bearers (+27.6%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 15,614 places
2020
#108,494
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 174
+12 bearers (+7.4%)
Per 100,000 0.06
Rank movement Up 764 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #124,872 | 127 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #109,258 | 162 | 0.05 | +35 bearers (+27.6%) | Up 15,614 places |
| 2020 | #108,494 | 174 | 0.06 | +12 bearers (+7.4%) | Up 764 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 Agnant 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 | #109,258 | #108,494 | 0.7% |
| Count | 162 | 174 | 7.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.06 | 16.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Agnant bearers went from 162 to 174 (+7.4% change). The surname moved up 764 positions in the national ranking, going from #109,258 to #108,494.
FAQ
Agnant surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Agnant?
Name Census estimates that about 200 living Americans carry the surname Agnant. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,713,772 residents.
How common is Agnant?
Agnant ranks #108,494 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.06 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 174 people with the surname Agnant. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (200), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.06 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.06 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 Agnant.
Has Agnant become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Agnant went from 162 recorded bearers to 174. That is an increase of 12 (+7.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #109,258 to #108,494.
What does the Census say about the background of Agnant?
Among Census respondents with the surname Agnant, the largest self-reported group is Black at 85.1%. The next largest groups are White (5.7%) and Two or More Races (4.6%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Agnant in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.1% (148 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Agnant appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (85.1%), White (5.7%), Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Agnant (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 Agnant mean?
A French surname of uncertain origin, possibly derived from the Old French word "aignant," meaning "lamb." 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 Agnant (0.06 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 Agnant?
See how many people have the surname Agnant on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.