2000
#7,490
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,102
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.52
Rare Last name
Beaudry
A French toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "beautiful or pleasant place."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,679 Americans carry the last name Beaudry. That puts it at #7,802 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.37 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 73,254 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Beaudry 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
4.7K
1 in 73,254
Census rank
#7,802
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,080 bearers of the surname Beaudry in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.37 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7802nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Beaudry, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Beaudry
The surname Beaudry originated in France and dates back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Old French words "beau" meaning "beautiful" and "dru" meaning "thick, dense, or strong". The name was likely initially given as a nickname to someone who was considered to be physically attractive and robust.
The earliest known record of the name Beaudry can be found in the 13th century in the region of Normandy, France. It was initially spelled as "Beaudru" or "Beaudrue" before evolving into its modern form. Some variations of the spelling include Baudry, Baudrie, and Baudrie.
In the 14th century, the name Beaudry appeared in various historical records and documents, such as the Livre des Bourgeois de Rouen, which was a registry of the citizens of Rouen, a city in Normandy. This suggests that the name was well-established in the region during that time.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Beaudry was Jean Beaudry, a landowner who lived in the village of Gouy, near Rouen, in the late 14th century. Another notable figure was Guillaume Beaudry, a merchant from Normandy who was involved in the wool trade with England in the early 15th century.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Beaudry family spread throughout France, with some members settling in the regions of Île-de-France, Brittany, and Poitou. One notable individual from this period was Jacques Beaudry, a French painter who lived in Paris in the late 16th century and was known for his religious paintings.
In the 18th century, a branch of the Beaudry family emigrated to Canada, where they settled in the province of Quebec. One of the earliest recorded Beaudry settlers in Canada was Joseph Beaudry, who arrived in Montreal in the mid-18th century and established a successful business as a merchant and landowner.
Another significant figure with the surname Beaudry was Jean-Baptiste Beaudry, a Canadian politician and businessman who lived in the 19th century. He served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Quebec and was instrumental in the development of the city of Montreal, where he was involved in various real estate and infrastructure projects.
Throughout history, the Beaudry name has been associated with various professions, including artists, merchants, landowners, and politicians. While not as widely known as some other French surnames, the Beaudry family has left its mark on the cultural and economic fabric of both France and Canada.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Beaudry
Among Census respondents with the surname Beaudry, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Beaudry 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 Beaudry surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.7% · 3,701
- Two or more races3.7% · 150
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 136
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 45
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 28
- Black or African American0.5% · 20
Timeline
Historical Census data for Beaudry
Beaudry 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
#7,734
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,293
+191 bearers (+4.7%)
Per 100,000 1.46
Rank movement Down 244 places
2020
#7,802
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,080
-213 bearers (-5.0%)
Per 100,000 1.37
Rank movement Down 68 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,490 | 4,102 | 1.52 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,734 | 4,293 | 1.46 | +191 bearers (+4.7%) | Down 244 places |
| 2020 | #7,802 | 4,080 | 1.37 | -213 bearers (-5.0%) | Down 68 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 Beaudry 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 | #7,734 | #7,802 | -0.9% |
| Count | 4,293 | 4,080 | -5.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.46 | 1.37 | -6.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Beaudry bearers went from 4,293 to 4,080 (-5.0% change). The surname moved down 68 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,734 to #7,802.
FAQ
Beaudry surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Beaudry?
Name Census estimates that about 4,679 living Americans carry the surname Beaudry. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 73,254 residents.
How common is Beaudry?
Beaudry ranks #7,802 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.37 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 4,080 people with the surname Beaudry. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,679), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.37 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.37 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 Beaudry.
Has Beaudry become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Beaudry went from 4,293 recorded bearers to 4,080. That is a decrease of 213 (-5.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,734 to #7,802.
What does the Census say about the background of Beaudry?
Among Census respondents with the surname Beaudry, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (3.3%). 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 Beaudry in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.7% (3,701 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Beaudry appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.7%), Two or More Races (3.7%), Hispanic (3.3%). 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 Beaudry (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 Beaudry mean?
A French toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "beautiful or pleasant place." 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 Beaudry (1.37 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 Beaudry?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.