2000
#6,243
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,040
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.87
Rare Last name
Avant
A French occupational surname for an innkeeper, derived from "avant" meaning "in front of" or "before."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,871 Americans carry the last name Avant. That puts it at #6,387 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.71 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 58,381 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Avant 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
5.9K
1 in 58,381
Census rank
#6,387
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,120 bearers of the surname Avant in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.71 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6387th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Avant, the largest self-reported group is White at 50.1%. The next largest groups are Black (40.9%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Avant
The surname Avant originated in France in the 12th century. It is derived from the Old French word 'avanti', meaning 'in front' or 'before'. The name likely referred to someone who lived at the front of a village or town, or perhaps an early settler in a new area.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name is found in the Cartulaire de l'Abbaye de Conques, a medieval manuscript from the 12th century, which mentions a person named Petrus Avant. The name also appears in various other medieval records and documents from France.
In the 13th century, the name Avant was particularly prevalent in the regions of Languedoc and Provence in southern France. It is believed that the name may have originated in these areas, as many place names in these regions incorporate the word 'avant', such as Avantpuech and Avantgarde.
Notable individuals with the surname Avant include Guillaume Avant (c. 1300-1370), a French knight who fought in the Hundred Years' War. Another early bearer of the name was Jean Avant (c. 1450-1520), a renowned poet and scholar from the city of Avignon.
During the 16th century, the Avant family established itself in the region of Normandy in northern France. One prominent member of this branch was Nicolas Avant (1550-1628), a successful merchant and landowner who served as a magistrate in the city of Rouen.
In the 18th century, the name Avant gained recognition through the works of the French playwright and novelist, François Avant (1712-1770). His comedies and satirical works were widely popular during the Enlightenment period.
Another noteworthy figure with the surname Avant was Émilie Avant (1825-1892), a French educator and activist who campaigned for women's rights and access to education. She founded several schools for girls in Paris and was a prominent figure in the early feminist movement in France.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Avant
Among Census respondents with the surname Avant, the largest self-reported group is White at 50.1%. The next largest groups are Black (40.9%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Avant 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 Avant surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White50.1% · 2,565
- Black or African American40.9% · 2,096
- Two or more races4.6% · 238
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 177
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 30
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Avant
Avant 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
#6,277
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,443
+403 bearers (+8.0%)
Per 100,000 1.85
Rank movement Down 34 places
2020
#6,387
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,120
-323 bearers (-5.9%)
Per 100,000 1.71
Rank movement Down 110 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,243 | 5,040 | 1.87 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,277 | 5,443 | 1.85 | +403 bearers (+8.0%) | Down 34 places |
| 2020 | #6,387 | 5,120 | 1.71 | -323 bearers (-5.9%) | Down 110 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 Avant 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 | #6,277 | #6,387 | -1.8% |
| Count | 5,443 | 5,120 | -5.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.85 | 1.71 | -7.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Avant bearers went from 5,443 to 5,120 (-5.9% change). The surname moved down 110 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,277 to #6,387.
FAQ
Avant surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Avant?
Name Census estimates that about 5,871 living Americans carry the surname Avant. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 58,381 residents.
How common is Avant?
Avant ranks #6,387 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.71 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 5,120 people with the surname Avant. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,871), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.71 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.71 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 Avant.
Has Avant become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Avant went from 5,443 recorded bearers to 5,120. That is a decrease of 323 (-5.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,277 to #6,387.
What does the Census say about the background of Avant?
Among Census respondents with the surname Avant, the largest self-reported group is White at 50.1%. The next largest groups are Black (40.9%) 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Avant in the 2020 Census, accounting for 50.1% (2,565 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Avant appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (50.1%), Black (40.9%), 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 Avant (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 Avant mean?
A French occupational surname for an innkeeper, derived from "avant" meaning "in front of" or "before." 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 Avant (1.71 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 Avant?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.