2010
#147,253
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Amerault
A French surname believed to derive from a location name meaning "small bitter water."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Amerault. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Amerault 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
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Amerault in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Amerault, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Black (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Amerault
The surname Amerault is of French origin, tracing its roots back to the medieval period. It is believed to have originated in the region of Normandy, France, where it was likely derived from a place name or an occupational designation.
One theory suggests that Amerault may have evolved from the Old French word "amere," meaning bitter or sour. This could indicate that the name was initially given to someone who worked with or produced bitter or sour substances, such as a vintner or a brewer.
Another possibility is that the name is a variant of "Aymery," a personal name derived from the Germanic elements "agin" (possession or protection) and "ric" (power or rule). This could imply that the name was initially borne by someone who was considered a powerful or influential individual.
In the 11th century, the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of land ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror, recorded several individuals with the name Amerault or similar spellings. This suggests that the name had already been introduced to England by the time of the Norman Conquest in 1066.
One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name was Robert Amerault, a Norman nobleman who accompanied William the Conqueror to England during the Norman Conquest. He was granted lands in Wiltshire, England, for his service to the king.
Another notable figure was Sir John Amerault, a 14th-century English knight who fought in the Hundred Years' War against France. He was knighted on the battlefield by King Edward III in 1346 for his bravery during the Battle of Crécy.
In the 15th century, a branch of the Amerault family settled in the region of Brittany, France, where they adopted the spelling "Amereault." One member of this branch was Jacques Amereault, a renowned craftsman who specialized in creating intricate woodcarvings for churches and noble residences.
During the 16th century, the name Amerault appeared in various records in the Netherlands, possibly indicating that some members of the family had migrated there. One such individual was Pieter Amerault, a Dutch merchant who traded in spices and luxury goods between the Netherlands and the East Indies.
In the 17th century, a family with the surname Amerault emigrated from France to the French colony of Acadia (present-day Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, Canada). Among their descendants was Marie Amerault, who married a French soldier and became one of the first European settlers in the region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Amerault
Among Census respondents with the surname Amerault, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Black (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Amerault 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 Amerault surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.1% · 108
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 4
- Black or African American2.6% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Amerault
Amerault appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
+4 bearers (+3.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 2,225 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #147,253 | 112 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.6%) | Up 2,225 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 Amerault 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 | #147,253 | #145,028 | 1.5% |
| Count | 112 | 116 | 3.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Amerault bearers went from 112 to 116 (+3.6% change). The surname moved up 2,225 positions in the national ranking, going from #147,253 to #145,028.
FAQ
Amerault surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Amerault?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Amerault. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Amerault?
Amerault ranks #145,028 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 116 people with the surname Amerault. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), 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 Amerault.
Has Amerault become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Amerault went from 112 recorded bearers to 116. That is an increase of 4 (+3.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #147,253 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Amerault?
Among Census respondents with the surname Amerault, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Black (2.6%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Amerault in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.1% (108 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Amerault appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.1%), Hispanic (3.4%), Black (2.6%). 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 Amerault (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 Amerault mean?
A French surname believed to derive from a location name meaning "small bitter water." 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 Amerault (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 Amerault?
Find out how many people have the surname Amerault on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.