Find out how popular the last name Avants is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Avants.

Avants, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Avants surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Avants in America

Avants is the 28065th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Avants surname appeared 853 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Avants.

We can also compare 2010 data for Avants to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Avants

The surname AVANTS is of French origin, dating back to the medieval period. It is believed to have originated in the Normandy region of northern France, where it was likely derived from the Old French word "avant," meaning "before" or "in front of."

The earliest known record of the name AVANTS can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of land ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. This suggests that individuals bearing this surname may have been among the Norman settlers who accompanied William during the Norman Conquest of England in 1066.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname AVANTS was Sir Robert Avants, a Norman knight who fought alongside William the Conqueror at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. Sir Robert was granted lands in Wiltshire, England, as a reward for his service, and his descendants continued to use the surname AVANTS.

In the 13th century, the name AVANTS was associated with the village of Avantz, located in the Calvados region of Normandy. This place name likely contributed to the development and spelling variations of the surname, such as Avauntz and Avaunt.

During the Middle Ages, the surname AVANTS was also linked to the French noble family of Avant, which held significant landholdings and influence in the regions of Normandy and Picardy. Notable members of this family included Jean Avant (1345-1412), a renowned military commander who fought in the Hundred Years' War, and Philippe Avant (1480-1547), a prominent scholar and theologian.

In the 16th century, the AVANTS surname appeared in records related to the Protestant Reformation. One noteworthy figure was Jacques Avants (1520-1578), a French Huguenot minister and theologian who played a significant role in the spread of Protestantism in France.

As the centuries passed, the AVANTS surname continued to be found throughout France and other parts of Europe, with individuals bearing this name making contributions in various fields, such as literature, art, and politics. For example, Louis Avants (1675-1737) was a French playwright and poet, while Pierre Avants (1810-1892) was a renowned French painter known for his landscape works.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Avants

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Avants.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Avants was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Avants has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Avants was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Avants, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!