2000
#107,565
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 153
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.06
Very Rare Last name
Bourgois
A surname deriving from the French word for a townsperson or inhabitant of a borough.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Bourgois. That puts it at #143,511 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,538,921 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bourgois 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
135
1 in 2,538,921
Census rank
#143,511
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
118
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 118 bearers of the surname Bourgois in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 143511th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bourgois, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.1%) and Black (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bourgois
The surname Bourgois has its origins in France, where it first emerged in the 12th century. It is derived from the Old French word "bourgeois," which refers to a resident of a town or borough. The name likely originated in one of the numerous boroughs or towns that dotted the French landscape during the Middle Ages.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Bourgois can be found in the Cartulaire de l'Abbaye de Saint-Père de Chartres, a medieval manuscript dating back to the late 12th century. This document mentions a certain "Robertus Burgensis," which is thought to be an early variant of the Bourgois surname.
In the 13th century, the name appears in various records from the region of Normandy, where it was often spelled as "Bourgeois" or "Bourgois." A notable example is Gilles Bourgois, a merchant from the town of Rouen who is mentioned in the city's tax records from 1287.
The 14th century saw the rise of the Bourgois family in the city of Paris. Jean Bourgois, a wealthy merchant born in 1325, became a prominent figure in the city's guild system and served as a municipal official. His son, Pierre Bourgois (1368-1442), was a respected lawyer and adviser to King Charles VI.
During the Renaissance, the Bourgois surname gained further prominence with the exploits of Jacques Bourgois (1512-1576), a French explorer and navigator who accompanied Jacques Cartier on his voyages to North America. Bourgois was instrumental in mapping the St. Lawrence River and establishing early French settlements in what is now Canada.
Another notable figure was Marguerite Bourgois (1586-1648), a French midwife and author who wrote one of the earliest treatises on midwifery and childbirth. Her work, "Observations diverses sur la stérilité, perte de fruicts, fécondité, accouchements et maladies des femmes et enfants nouveaux naiz," was published in 1609 and became a seminal text in the field of obstetrics.
In the 18th century, the Bourgois surname was associated with the French Revolution. Jean-Baptiste Bourgois (1745-1799) was a prominent journalist and revolutionary who served as a deputy in the National Convention. He was an ardent supporter of the Revolution and voted for the execution of King Louis XVI.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bourgois
Among Census respondents with the surname Bourgois, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.1%) and Black (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Bourgois 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 Bourgois surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.1% · 104
- Two or more races5.1% · 6
- Black or African American4.2% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bourgois
Bourgois 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
-39 bearers (-25.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 37,655 places
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
+4 bearers (+3.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 1,709 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #107,565 | 153 | 0.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #145,220 | 114 | 0.04 | -39 bearers (-25.5%) | Down 37,655 places |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.5%) | Up 1,709 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 Bourgois 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 | #143,511 | 1.2% |
| Count | 114 | 118 | 3.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bourgois bearers went from 114 to 118 (+3.5% change). The surname moved up 1,709 positions in the national ranking, going from #145,220 to #143,511.
FAQ
Bourgois surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bourgois?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Bourgois. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Bourgois?
Bourgois ranks #143,511 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 118 people with the surname Bourgois. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (135), 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 Bourgois.
Has Bourgois become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bourgois went from 114 recorded bearers to 118. That is an increase of 4 (+3.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #145,220 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Bourgois?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bourgois, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.1%) and Black (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 Bourgois in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.1% (104 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bourgois appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.1%), Two or More Races (5.1%), Black (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 Bourgois (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 Bourgois mean?
A surname deriving from the French word for a townsperson or inhabitant of a borough. 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 Bourgois (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 share the surname Bourgois?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.