2000
#10,386
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,843
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.05
Rare Last name
Alexandre
French surname derived from the Greek name Alexandros, meaning "defender of mankind" or "protector of men."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,841 Americans carry the last name Alexandre. That puts it at #6,417 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.70 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 58,681 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Alexandre 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Alexandre with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.8K
1 in 58,681
Census rank
#6,417
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,094 bearers of the surname Alexandre in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.70 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6417th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Alexandre, the largest self-reported group is Black at 74.3%. The next largest groups are White (16.1%) and Hispanic (6.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Alexandre
The surname Alexandre has its origins in France, specifically in the northern regions of the country. The name is derived from the ancient Greek name Alexandros, which means "defender of men" or "protector of men." This name was popularized by Alexander the Great, the famous Macedonian king and military commander who lived from 356 BC to 323 BC.
In France, the name Alexandre first appeared in historical records during the Middle Ages, around the 11th or 12th century. It was initially used as a given name, but over time, it evolved into a surname as well. The earliest recorded instances of the surname can be found in medieval documents and records from northern France, particularly in the regions of Normandy and Picardy.
One of the earliest known bearers of the surname Alexandre was Guillaume Alexandre, a French nobleman who lived in the 13th century. He was a prominent figure in the court of King Louis IX (also known as Saint Louis) and participated in the Seventh Crusade to the Holy Land in the 1240s.
Another notable figure with the surname Alexandre was Jean Alexandre, a French Renaissance poet and playwright who lived from approximately 1490 to 1546. He was born in Normandy and is best known for his works "Le Jaloux" and "Le Trésor d'Amour."
In the 17th century, Jacques Alexandre, a French Jesuit missionary and explorer, played a significant role in the exploration of Canada and the Great Lakes region. He was born in 1635 and died in 1701.
During the French Revolution in the late 18th century, Joseph Alexandre, a French politician and lawyer, served as a deputy in the National Convention and was a member of the Jacobin Club. He was born in 1752 and guillotined in 1794 during the Reign of Terror.
In the 19th century, Noël Alexandre, a French sculptor and artist, gained recognition for his works in bronze and marble. He was born in 1836 and died in 1904.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals with the surname Alexandre throughout history, but the name has been carried by many others across different parts of France and beyond.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Alexandre
Among Census respondents with the surname Alexandre, the largest self-reported group is Black at 74.3%. The next largest groups are White (16.1%) and Hispanic (6.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Alexandre 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 Alexandre surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American74.3% · 3,787
- White16.1% · 820
- Hispanic or Latino6.2% · 317
- Two or more races2.5% · 129
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 36
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Alexandre
Alexandre 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
#7,155
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,675
+1,832 bearers (+64.4%)
Per 100,000 1.58
Rank movement Up 3,231 places
2020
#6,417
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,094
+419 bearers (+9.0%)
Per 100,000 1.70
Rank movement Up 738 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,386 | 2,843 | 1.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,155 | 4,675 | 1.58 | +1,832 bearers (+64.4%) | Up 3,231 places |
| 2020 | #6,417 | 5,094 | 1.70 | +419 bearers (+9.0%) | Up 738 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 Alexandre 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 | #7,155 | #6,417 | 10.3% |
| Count | 4,675 | 5,094 | 9.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.58 | 1.70 | 7.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Alexandre bearers went from 4,675 to 5,094 (+9.0% change). The surname moved up 738 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,155 to #6,417.
FAQ
Alexandre surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Alexandre?
Name Census estimates that about 5,841 living Americans carry the surname Alexandre. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 58,681 residents.
How common is Alexandre?
Alexandre ranks #6,417 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.70 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,094 people with the surname Alexandre. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,841), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.7 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.70 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Alexandre.
Has Alexandre become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Alexandre went from 4,675 recorded bearers to 5,094. That is an increase of 419 (+9.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #7,155 to #6,417.
What does the Census say about the background of Alexandre?
Among Census respondents with the surname Alexandre, the largest self-reported group is Black at 74.3%. The next largest groups are White (16.1%) and Hispanic (6.2%). 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 Alexandre in the 2020 Census, accounting for 74.3% (3,787 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Alexandre appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (74.3%), White (16.1%), Hispanic (6.2%). 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 Alexandre (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 Alexandre mean?
French surname derived from the Greek name Alexandros, meaning "defender of mankind" or "protector of men." 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 Alexandre (1.70 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 Americans have the surname Alexandre?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.