2000
#130,443
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Billette
A possible French surname derived from the word "billette" meaning a small log or billet.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Billette. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Billette 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
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Billette in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Billette, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.4%. The next largest groups are Black (1.8%) and Two or More Races (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Billette
The surname Billette has its origins in France and dates back to the early medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Old French word "billette," which means a small billet or log. This suggests that the name may have originated as a descriptive nickname for someone who worked with wood, such as a woodcutter or carpenter.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Billette can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a survey of landowners and property in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The entry mentions a landowner named "Willelmus Billette" in the county of Oxfordshire.
During the 13th century, the name appears in various records and manuscripts across northern France and parts of England. For example, in 1275, a record from the town of Amiens in Picardy mentions a "Jehan Billette" who was involved in a legal dispute over property.
In the 14th century, the name Billette began to spread more widely across Europe as families migrated and settled in new regions. One notable figure from this period was Jacques Billette, a French merchant and explorer who was born in Normandy around 1320. He is recorded as having led a trading expedition to the Baltic region in the 1360s.
As time progressed, the name Billette also took on various spelling variations, such as Billett, Billete, and Billot, reflecting the regional dialects and scribal practices of different areas. In the 16th century, there are records of a family named Billette residing in the town of Ypres in modern-day Belgium.
Other notable individuals with the surname Billette throughout history include:
1. Pierre Billette (c. 1450-1520), a French architect and stonemason who worked on several churches and cathedrals in Paris and the surrounding region.
2. Étienne Billette (1575-1638), a French lawyer and legal scholar who served as a judge in the Parlement of Paris.
3. Marie Billette (1659-1732), a French painter and portraitist known for her works depicting religious scenes and members of the French nobility.
4. Louis Billette (1792-1868), a French politician and military officer who served as a deputy in the French National Assembly during the July Monarchy.
5. Émile Billette (1858-1932), a Belgian artist and painter who specialized in landscapes and scenes depicting rural life in the Flemish countryside.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Billette
Among Census respondents with the surname Billette, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.4%. The next largest groups are Black (1.8%) and Two or More Races (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Billette 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 Billette surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.4% · 111
- Black or African American1.8% · 2
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Billette
Billette 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
#153,769
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
-14 bearers (-11.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 23,326 places
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
+8 bearers (+7.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 7,274 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #130,443 | 120 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #153,769 | 106 | 0.04 | -14 bearers (-11.7%) | Down 23,326 places |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | +8 bearers (+7.5%) | Up 7,274 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 Billette 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 | #153,769 | #146,495 | 4.7% |
| Count | 106 | 114 | 7.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Billette bearers went from 106 to 114 (+7.5% change). The surname moved up 7,274 positions in the national ranking, going from #153,769 to #146,495.
FAQ
Billette surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Billette?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Billette. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Billette?
Billette ranks #146,495 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 114 people with the surname Billette. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Billette.
Has Billette become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Billette went from 106 recorded bearers to 114. That is an increase of 8 (+7.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #153,769 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Billette?
Among Census respondents with the surname Billette, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.4%. The next largest groups are Black (1.8%) and Two or More Races (0.9%). 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 Billette in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.4% (111 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Billette appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.4%), Black (1.8%), Two or More Races (0.9%). 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 Billette (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 Billette mean?
A possible French surname derived from the word "billette" meaning a small log or billet. 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 Billette (0.04 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 are called Billette?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Billette at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.