Find out how popular the last name Bouchard is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Bouchard.
A French toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "small wood" or "thicket."
Bouchard, 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 Bouchard surname is from the 2010 census data.
Bouchard is the 2739th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.
The Bouchard surname appeared 13,154 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 4 people would have the surname Bouchard.
We can also compare 2010 data for Bouchard 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.
2010 | 2000 | Change (%) | |
---|---|---|---|
Rank | 2739 | 2586 | 5.75% |
Count | 13,154 | 12,870 | 2.18% |
Proportion per 100k | 4.46 | 4.77 | -6.72% |
The surname Bouchard originated in France during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old French word "bouchard," which means "herdsman" or "shepherd." The name likely referred to someone who tended livestock, particularly cattle or sheep.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the 12th century in the regions of Normandy and Brittany in northwestern France. In some historical records, the name is spelled slightly differently, such as "Bouchart" or "Boucharde."
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Bouchard was Geoffroy Bouchard, a Norman knight who fought in the First Crusade (1096-1099). He was awarded lands in the Principality of Antioch for his service.
Another notable figure was Jean Bouchard (c. 1300-1360), a French theologian and philosopher who taught at the University of Paris. He wrote several influential treatises on logic and metaphysics.
During the 15th century, the Bouchard family established themselves as prominent landowners in the region of Burgundy, France. Jacques Bouchard (1420-1491) was a wealthy merchant and vineyard owner who served as a councilor to the Duke of Burgundy.
In the 17th century, Nicolas Bouchard (1619-1687) was a French explorer and fur trader who established trading posts in what is now Canada. He played a significant role in the early colonial period of New France.
The surname Bouchard also has a long history in Quebec, Canada, where many French settlers bearing the name arrived in the 17th and 18th centuries. One of the earliest recorded instances was Jacques Bouchard (1631-1703), who immigrated from France and established a farm in the region of Trois-Rivières.
Throughout the centuries, the Bouchard surname has been associated with various notable figures in various fields, including politics, academia, and the arts. However, the name's origins can be traced back to the humble occupation of herdsmen and shepherds in medieval France.
We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Bouchard.
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:
For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Bouchard was:
Race/Ethnicity | Percentage | Total Occurrences |
---|---|---|
Non-Hispanic White Only | 95.26% | 12,531 |
Non-Hispanic Black Only | 0.36% | 47 |
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only | 0.46% | 61 |
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.57% | 75 |
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races | 1.41% | 185 |
Hispanic Origin | 1.94% | 255 |
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 Bouchard has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.
2010 | 2000 | Change (%) | |
---|---|---|---|
White | 95.26% | 96.43% | -1.22% |
Black | 0.36% | 0.40% | -10.53% |
Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.46% | 0.33% | 32.91% |
American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.57% | 0.55% | 3.57% |
Two or More Races | 1.41% | 1.12% | 22.92% |
Hispanic | 1.94% | 1.17% | 49.52% |
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 Bouchard was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.
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<a href="http://namecensus.com/last-names/bouchard-surname-popularity/">Bouchard last name popularity, history, and meaning</a>
"Bouchard last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on October 15, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/bouchard-surname-popularity/.
"Bouchard last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/bouchard-surname-popularity/. Accessed 15 October, 2024
Bouchard last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/bouchard-surname-popularity/.
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