2000
#3,392
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,657
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.58
Uncommon Last name
Allard
A French habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "to the clearing" or "dweller at the clearing."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 10,715 Americans carry the last name Allard. That puts it at #3,694 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.13 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 31,988 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Allard 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 Allard with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
11K
1 in 31,988
Census rank
#3,694
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
9.3K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 9,344 bearers of the surname Allard in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.13 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3694th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Allard, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Allard
The surname Allard originated in France during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old French word "alard" or "allard," which means "vigorous" or "brave." The name likely originated as a nickname for someone who displayed these qualities.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Allard can be found in medieval French records and documents. One notable example is the mention of a knight named Renaud Allard in the 13th-century manuscript "Histoire de la Guerre de Navarre."
In the 14th century, the Allard family established themselves in the region of Normandy, where they held lands and titles. Records from this time period show variations of the spelling, such as "Allart" and "Alard."
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Jean Allard, a French merchant and explorer who was born in the late 15th century. He is credited with being one of the first Europeans to establish trade relations with the Indigenous peoples of Canada.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Allard name spread throughout France, with several notable figures emerging. Jean Allard (1515-1595) was a French Protestant theologian and author who played a significant role in the Reformation. André Allard (1635-1696) was a renowned architect who designed several notable buildings in Paris, including the Church of Saint-Sulpice.
The name also gained prominence in other parts of Europe. In England, Sir William Allard (1587-1666) was a prominent lawyer and politician who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1654. In Scotland, Robert Allard (1720-1801) was a respected philosopher and professor at the University of Edinburgh.
As the Allard family continued to spread across Europe and eventually to other parts of the world, the name evolved to include various spellings and variations, such as Allardt, Alard, and Allart.
Throughout history, the surname Allard has been associated with notable individuals in various fields, including Jean-François Allard (1806-1886), a French general who fought in the Napoleonic Wars, and Auguste Allard (1828-1899), a Belgian painter known for his historical and religious works.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Allard
Among Census respondents with the surname Allard, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Allard 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 Allard surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.4% · 8,257
- Two or more races4.2% · 396
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 296
- Black or African American1.8% · 166
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.6% · 153
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 76
Timeline
Historical Census data for Allard
Allard 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
#3,553
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,047
+390 bearers (+4.0%)
Per 100,000 3.41
Rank movement Down 161 places
2020
#3,694
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,344
-703 bearers (-7.0%)
Per 100,000 3.13
Rank movement Down 141 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,392 | 9,657 | 3.58 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,553 | 10,047 | 3.41 | +390 bearers (+4.0%) | Down 161 places |
| 2020 | #3,694 | 9,344 | 3.13 | -703 bearers (-7.0%) | Down 141 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 Allard 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 | #3,553 | #3,694 | -4.0% |
| Count | 10,047 | 9,344 | -7.0% |
| Per 100K | 3.41 | 3.13 | -8.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Allard bearers went from 10,047 to 9,344 (-7.0% change). The surname moved down 141 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,553 to #3,694.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Allard
FAQ
Allard surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Allard?
Name Census estimates that about 10,715 living Americans carry the surname Allard. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 31,988 residents.
How common is Allard?
Allard ranks #3,694 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.13 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 9,344 people with the surname Allard. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (10,715), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.13 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.13 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Allard.
Has Allard become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Allard went from 10,047 recorded bearers to 9,344. That is a decrease of 703 (-7.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,553 to #3,694.
What does the Census say about the background of Allard?
Among Census respondents with the surname Allard, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and Hispanic (3.2%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Allard in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.4% (8,257 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Allard appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.4%), Two or More Races (4.2%), Hispanic (3.2%). 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 Allard (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 Allard mean?
A French habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "to the clearing" or "dweller at the clearing." 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 Allard (3.13 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 have the surname Allard?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.