2000
#12,133
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,358
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.87
Rare Last name
Bissonnette
A French occupational surname referring to a person who sold or produced biscuits, bread, or other baked goods.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,745 Americans carry the last name Bissonnette. That puts it at #12,391 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.80 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 124,865 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bissonnette 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
2.7K
1 in 124,865
Census rank
#12,391
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,394 bearers of the surname Bissonnette in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.80 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12391st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bissonnette, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bissonnette
Among Census respondents with the surname Bissonnette, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Bissonnette 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 Bissonnette surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.2% · 2,207
- Two or more races3.4% · 82
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 70
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 25
- Black or African American0.2% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bissonnette
Bissonnette 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
#12,520
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,475
+117 bearers (+5.0%)
Per 100,000 0.84
Rank movement Down 387 places
2020
#12,391
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,394
-81 bearers (-3.3%)
Per 100,000 0.80
Rank movement Up 129 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,133 | 2,358 | 0.87 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,520 | 2,475 | 0.84 | +117 bearers (+5.0%) | Down 387 places |
| 2020 | #12,391 | 2,394 | 0.80 | -81 bearers (-3.3%) | Up 129 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 Bissonnette 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 | #12,520 | #12,391 | 1.0% |
| Count | 2,475 | 2,394 | -3.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.84 | 0.80 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bissonnette bearers went from 2,475 to 2,394 (-3.3% change). The surname moved up 129 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,520 to #12,391.
FAQ
Bissonnette surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bissonnette?
Name Census estimates that about 2,745 living Americans carry the surname Bissonnette. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 124,865 residents.
How common is Bissonnette?
Bissonnette ranks #12,391 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.80 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 2,394 people with the surname Bissonnette. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,745), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.8 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.80 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 Bissonnette.
Has Bissonnette become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bissonnette went from 2,475 recorded bearers to 2,394. That is a decrease of 81 (-3.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #12,520 to #12,391.
What does the Census say about the background of Bissonnette?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bissonnette, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Bissonnette in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.2% (2,207 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bissonnette appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.2%), Two or More Races (3.4%), Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Bissonnette (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 Bissonnette mean?
A French occupational surname referring to a person who sold or produced biscuits, bread, or other baked goods. 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 Bissonnette (0.80 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 share the surname Bissonnette?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.