2000
#121,058
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 132
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Bourdette
A French surname derived from the word "bourde" meaning a small house or hut.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Bourdette. That puts it at #142,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,520,252 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bourdette 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
136
1 in 2,520,252
Census rank
#142,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
119
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 119 bearers of the surname Bourdette in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bourdette, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.9%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bourdette
The surname BOURDETTE is believed to have originated in France, with the earliest known records dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old French word "bourdette," which referred to a type of fishing net or trap used along the coasts and rivers of northern France.
During the Middle Ages, many families adopted surnames based on their occupations or the tools they used in their trades. The name BOURDETTE likely originated from a family involved in fishing or the manufacturing of these distinctive nets, which were an important part of the local industry and economy.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name appears in a charter from the Abbey of Saint-Wandrille in Normandy, dated 1187, which refers to a "Renaud Bourdette" as a witness to a land transaction. This suggests that the name was already well-established in the region by the late 12th century.
Throughout the 13th and 14th centuries, variations of the name such as "Bourdete," "Bourdette," and "Bourdelle" appear in various records and tax rolls from the provinces of Normandy, Picardy, and Brittany. These regions were known for their thriving fishing communities, lending further credence to the occupational origin of the name.
One notable bearer of the BOURDETTE surname was Jean Bourdette, a merchant and ship owner from Le Havre who lived in the early 16th century. Records indicate that he was involved in the lucrative trade between France and the New World, and his ships transported goods and passengers across the Atlantic.
Another figure of historical significance was Jeanne Bourdette, a Huguenot woman born in Rouen in 1572. She was among the French Protestants who fled religious persecution and sought refuge in England after the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre in 1572.
In the 17th century, Pierre Bourdette, a skilled clockmaker from Dieppe, gained recognition for his intricate timepieces, which were highly prized by the French nobility. His work can still be found in some of the finest museums and private collections in France.
During the French Revolution, a soldier named Jacques Bourdette fought alongside the revolutionary forces and was present at the Siege of Toulon in 1793. His bravery and loyalty to the revolutionary cause were noted in the memoirs of several of his contemporaries.
The BOURDETTE name also spread beyond France's borders, with records showing families bearing the name in Canada, where they were among the early French settlers in the 17th and 18th centuries. One notable Canadian bearer of the name was Émilie Bourdette, a teacher and pioneering advocate for women's education in Quebec in the late 19th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bourdette
Among Census respondents with the surname Bourdette, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.9%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Bourdette 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 Bourdette surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.1% · 106
- Hispanic or Latino5.9% · 7
- Two or more races4.2% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bourdette
Bourdette 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
#129,047
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 132
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,989 places
2020
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
-13 bearers (-9.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 13,741 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #121,058 | 132 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #129,047 | 132 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 7,989 places |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | -13 bearers (-9.8%) | Down 13,741 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 Bourdette 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 | #129,047 | #142,788 | -10.6% |
| Count | 132 | 119 | -9.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -0.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bourdette bearers went from 132 to 119 (-9.8% change). The surname moved down 13,741 positions in the national ranking, going from #129,047 to #142,788.
FAQ
Bourdette surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bourdette?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Bourdette. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Bourdette?
Bourdette ranks #142,788 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 119 people with the surname Bourdette. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (136), 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 Bourdette.
Has Bourdette become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bourdette went from 132 recorded bearers to 119. That is a decrease of 13 (-9.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #129,047 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Bourdette?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bourdette, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.9%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Bourdette in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.1% (106 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bourdette appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.1%), Hispanic (5.9%), Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Bourdette (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 Bourdette mean?
A French surname derived from the word "bourde" meaning a small house or hut. 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 Bourdette (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 have the surname Bourdette?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.