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

Beausoleil, 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 Beausoleil surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Beausoleil in America

Beausoleil is the 21068th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Beausoleil surname appeared 1,247 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 Beausoleil.

We can also compare 2010 data for Beausoleil 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 Beausoleil

The surname Beausoleil originated in France during the medieval period. It is a compound word derived from the Old French terms "beau" meaning beautiful and "soleil" meaning sun. The name likely referred to a person who lived in a sunny or bright location or had a cheerful disposition.

Beausoleil was a common name in the regions of Normandy and Brittany in northern France. Some of the earliest recorded examples of the name can be found in census records and property deeds from these areas dating back to the 12th century. Variants of the spelling included Beausouleil, Beausoulel, and Beusoleil.

In the 13th century, a knight named Jacques de Beausoleil was mentioned in a chronicle for his bravery during the Crusades. A century later, the name appeared in the records of a monastery in Rouen, referring to a monk named Frère Beausoleil who served as the abbey's herbalist.

During the 16th century, a prominent family by the name of Beausoleil resided in the town of Dieppe in Normandy. One member, Pierre Beausoleil (1525-1592), was a skilled shipwright who helped construct several vessels for the French navy. Another notable figure was the poet and playwright François de Beausoleil (1598-1670), who was born in Paris but traced his ancestry back to Normandy.

In the 18th century, a French explorer named Jean-Baptiste Beausoleil (1722-1799) was among the first European settlers in the region that would later become the state of Louisiana in the United States. He founded the settlement of Beau Soleil, which eventually became the town of Opelousas.

Other notable individuals with the surname Beausoleil include the French artist Henri Beausoleil (1844-1923), known for his landscape paintings, and the Canadian singer-songwriter Michel Beausoleil (1954-present), who has popularized the traditional music of Quebec.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Beausoleil

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

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 Beausoleil 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 Beausoleil 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 Beausoleil was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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