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

Bissonnette, 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 Bissonnette surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Bissonnette in America

Bissonnette is the 12520th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Bissonnette surname appeared 2,475 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Bissonnette.

We can also compare 2010 data for Bissonnette 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 Bissonnette

The surname Bissonnette originated in France and is a French habitational name derived from the Old French word "buisson" meaning bush or thicket. It likely referred to someone who lived near a bushy area or thicket.

The name Bissonnette is believed to have first appeared in records from the Normandy region of France, dating back to the 11th or 12th century. Some of the earliest recorded spellings include Buisson, Bisson, and Bisonnet.

In the 13th century, a document from the Duchy of Burgundy mentions a "Guillelmus de Buissone," which translates to William of the Bush, suggesting the name was used as a descriptive surname at that time.

One of the earliest known bearers of the name Bissonnette was Jean Bissonnette, a French soldier who served in the Hundred Years' War between England and France in the 15th century.

Another notable figure with this surname was Pierre Bissonnette, a French explorer who accompanied Jacques Cartier on his second voyage to North America in 1535. He is believed to have been one of the first Europeans to set foot in what is now Quebec, Canada.

In the 17th century, during the French colonization of North America, several Bissonnette families emigrated to New France (modern-day Quebec and eastern Canada). One of the earliest recorded arrivals was Etienne Bissonnette, who settled in Quebec City in 1665.

In the 18th century, a prominent bearer of the name was Jean-Baptiste Bissonnette (1704-1778), a successful merchant and landowner in Montreal, who played a significant role in the city's development.

Another notable figure was Marie-Anne Bissonnette (1786-1860), a French Canadian author and educator who wrote several books on religion and education, and was a pioneer in promoting women's education in Lower Canada.

Throughout history, the Bissonnette surname has been found in various spellings, including Bissionnet, Bissonnet, and Bissonet, reflecting the variations in pronunciation and spelling over time and across different regions.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Bissonnette

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

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

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

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