2000
#146,011
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Billodeau
A French surname derived from the Middle French term billaud meaning a tree trunk or block of wood.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 128 Americans carry the last name Billodeau. That puts it at #147,954 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,677,768 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Billodeau 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
128
1 in 2,677,768
Census rank
#147,954
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
112
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 112 bearers of the surname Billodeau in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147954th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Billodeau, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Billodeau
The surname Billodeau is of French origin, tracing its roots back to the northwestern region of France, particularly in the areas of Normandy and Brittany. It is believed to have emerged during the Middle Ages, around the 12th or 13th century.
The name Billodeau is thought to be derived from the Old French word "billot," which referred to a small log or piece of wood. This suggests that the name may have originally belonged to someone who worked with wood, such as a lumberjack, carpenter, or woodcutter.
Historical records indicate that variations of the name, such as Billaud, Billioud, and Billioud, appeared in various medieval documents from the region. However, no specific mentions of the Billodeau surname have been found in notable historical sources like the Domesday Book.
One of the earliest documented individuals with the Billodeau surname was Jean Billodeau, born in 1587 in the village of Saint-Malo, Brittany. He was a fisherman by trade and is recorded in the parish records of the time.
In the 17th century, a notable figure named Pierre Billodeau (1623-1699) was a merchant and shipowner in the port city of La Rochelle. He played a role in the maritime trade between France and its colonies in the Americas.
During the French Revolution, a soldier named Jacques Billodeau (1756-1832) fought in the revolutionary armies and later served under Napoleon Bonaparte. He rose to the rank of colonel and was awarded the Légion d'Honneur for his military service.
In the 19th century, a French sculptor named Louis-Auguste Billodeau (1818-1891) gained recognition for his work, particularly his sculptures adorning public buildings and monuments in Paris.
Another notable figure was Émilie Billodeau (1842-1920), a French educator and advocate for women's rights. She founded several schools in Paris and campaigned for equal educational opportunities for girls and women.
While the Billodeau surname originated in France, it eventually spread to other parts of the world, including Canada and the United States, due to migration and emigration.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Billodeau
Among Census respondents with the surname Billodeau, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Billodeau 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 Billodeau surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.8% · 105
- Two or more races2.7% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.8% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Billodeau
Billodeau 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
#145,220
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
+10 bearers (+9.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 791 places
2020
#147,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
-2 bearers (-1.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 2,734 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #146,011 | 104 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #145,220 | 114 | 0.04 | +10 bearers (+9.6%) | Up 791 places |
| 2020 | #147,954 | 112 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.8%) | Down 2,734 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 Billodeau 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 | #145,220 | #147,954 | -1.9% |
| Count | 114 | 112 | -1.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Billodeau bearers went from 114 to 112 (-1.8% change). The surname moved down 2,734 positions in the national ranking, going from #145,220 to #147,954.
FAQ
Billodeau surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Billodeau?
Name Census estimates that about 128 living Americans carry the surname Billodeau. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,677,768 residents.
How common is Billodeau?
Billodeau ranks #147,954 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 112 people with the surname Billodeau. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (128), 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 Billodeau.
Has Billodeau become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Billodeau went from 114 recorded bearers to 112. That is a decrease of 2 (-1.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #145,220 to #147,954.
What does the Census say about the background of Billodeau?
Among Census respondents with the surname Billodeau, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%). 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 Billodeau in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.8% (105 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Billodeau appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.8%), Two or More Races (2.7%), American Indian/Alaska Native (1.8%). 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 Billodeau (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 Billodeau mean?
A French surname derived from the Middle French term billaud meaning a tree trunk or block of wood. 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 Billodeau (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 Billodeau?
Want to know how many people have the last name Billodeau? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.