2000
#14,219
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,936
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.72
Rare Last name
Baillargeon
An occupational surname for a steward or bailiff, derived from Old French "bailleor" meaning "administrator" or "custodian."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,194 Americans carry the last name Baillargeon. That puts it at #14,867 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.64 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 156,223 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Baillargeon 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
2.2K
1 in 156,223
Census rank
#14,867
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,913 bearers of the surname Baillargeon in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.64 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14867th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Baillargeon, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Baillargeon
The surname Baillargeon originated in France, with records dating back to the 17th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old French words "bailler" meaning to give or hand over, and "argeon" referring to a type of clay soil. This suggests that the name may have initially been an occupational name for someone who worked with clay or as a brickmaker.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Baillargeon name can be found in the census records of the Canadian province of Quebec from the late 1600s. This indicates that the name was likely brought to North America by French settlers during the early colonial period.
In the 18th century, a notable figure named François Baillargeon was born in 1759 in the parish of Saint-François-de-la-Rivière-du-Sud, Quebec. He was a farmer and landowner, and his descendants played a significant role in the development of the Charlevoix region of Quebec.
Another prominent individual with the Baillargeon surname was Charles-François Baillargeon, born in 1798 in Quebec City. He became the Archbishop of Quebec from 1870 until his death in 1870, making him an influential figure in the Roman Catholic Church of Canada.
The 19th century saw the birth of several other notable Baillargeon individuals, including Julien-Joseph Baillargeon (1826-1903), a Canadian politician who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Quebec, and Joseph-Calixte Baillargeon (1861-1932), a Canadian businessman and politician who was involved in the mining industry.
In the early 20th century, Cyrille Baillargeon (1888-1953) was a Canadian lawyer and judge who served as a judge of the Superior Court of Quebec and the Court of King's Bench of Quebec.
While the Baillargeon name has its roots in France, it has been carried by individuals of various nationalities and backgrounds throughout history, with a strong presence in Canada, particularly in the province of Quebec.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Baillargeon
Among Census respondents with the surname Baillargeon, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Baillargeon 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 Baillargeon surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.2% · 1,763
- Two or more races4.0% · 76
- Hispanic or Latino2.0% · 39
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 16
- Black or African American0.7% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Baillargeon
Baillargeon 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
#15,020
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,966
+30 bearers (+1.5%)
Per 100,000 0.67
Rank movement Down 801 places
2020
#14,867
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,913
-53 bearers (-2.7%)
Per 100,000 0.64
Rank movement Up 153 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,219 | 1,936 | 0.72 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,020 | 1,966 | 0.67 | +30 bearers (+1.5%) | Down 801 places |
| 2020 | #14,867 | 1,913 | 0.64 | -53 bearers (-2.7%) | Up 153 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 Baillargeon 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 | #15,020 | #14,867 | 1.0% |
| Count | 1,966 | 1,913 | -2.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.67 | 0.64 | -4.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Baillargeon bearers went from 1,966 to 1,913 (-2.7% change). The surname moved up 153 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,020 to #14,867.
FAQ
Baillargeon surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Baillargeon?
Name Census estimates that about 2,194 living Americans carry the surname Baillargeon. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 156,223 residents.
How common is Baillargeon?
Baillargeon ranks #14,867 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.64 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,913 people with the surname Baillargeon. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,194), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.64 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.64 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Baillargeon.
Has Baillargeon become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Baillargeon went from 1,966 recorded bearers to 1,913. That is a decrease of 53 (-2.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #15,020 to #14,867.
What does the Census say about the background of Baillargeon?
Among Census respondents with the surname Baillargeon, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (2.0%). 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 Baillargeon in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.2% (1,763 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Baillargeon appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.2%), Two or More Races (4.0%), Hispanic (2.0%). 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 Baillargeon (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 Baillargeon mean?
An occupational surname for a steward or bailiff, derived from Old French "bailleor" meaning "administrator" or "custodian." 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 Baillargeon (0.64 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 Baillargeon?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.