2000
#8,571
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,537
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.31
Rare Last name
Breault
A French occupational surname for someone who brewed beer or ale.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,944 Americans carry the last name Breault. That puts it at #9,126 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.15 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 86,905 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Breault 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
3.9K
1 in 86,905
Census rank
#9,126
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,439 bearers of the surname Breault in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.15 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9126th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Breault, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Breault
The surname Breault is of French origin, tracing its roots back to the northern regions of France, particularly Normandy and Brittany. It is believed to have emerged in the 12th or 13th century as a locational name, derived from the Old French word "broy" or "breuil," meaning a small wood or thicket.
This surname is closely linked to various placenames in France, such as Breuil, Breuillet, and Breuillard, indicating that the earliest bearers of this name likely hailed from or resided near these locations. The name would have initially been used to identify someone from a particular area or village, a common practice in medieval times.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Breault surname can be found in the Livre des Bourgeois de Rouen, a registry of the citizens of Rouen, dated around 1292. This document mentions a certain "Robert Breuaut," providing evidence of the name's existence in the 13th century.
During the Middle Ages, the spelling variations of this surname were abundant, reflecting the inconsistencies in record-keeping and regional dialects. Some examples include Breuault, Breault, Breuault, Brioult, and Briault.
Notable individuals bearing the Breault surname throughout history include:
1. Jacques Breault (c. 1590-1670), a French colonist who settled in Quebec, Canada, in the early 17th century and was among the first habitants (settlers) of New France.
2. Pierre Breault (1655-1728), a French-Canadian farmer and landowner who lived in Beauport, Quebec, and held significant land holdings in the region.
3. Louis Breault (1760-1833), a French-Canadian merchant and entrepreneur who played a prominent role in the development of the fur trade in the early 19th century.
4. Marie-Anne Breault (1824-1905), a French-Canadian educator and founder of the Sisters of the Holy Cross, a Catholic religious congregation dedicated to education and social welfare.
5. Émile Breault (1858-1932), a Canadian lawyer, journalist, and politician who served as a member of the House of Commons of Canada from 1904 to 1917.
While the Breault surname has its origins in France, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through French colonial expansions and migrations, with significant populations bearing this name found in Canada, the United States, and other French-speaking regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Breault
Among Census respondents with the surname Breault, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Breault 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 Breault surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.3% · 3,209
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 93
- Two or more races2.7% · 93
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 25
- Black or African American0.4% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Breault
Breault 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
#8,854
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,700
+163 bearers (+4.6%)
Per 100,000 1.25
Rank movement Down 283 places
2020
#9,126
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,439
-261 bearers (-7.1%)
Per 100,000 1.15
Rank movement Down 272 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,571 | 3,537 | 1.31 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,854 | 3,700 | 1.25 | +163 bearers (+4.6%) | Down 283 places |
| 2020 | #9,126 | 3,439 | 1.15 | -261 bearers (-7.1%) | Down 272 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 Breault 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 | #8,854 | #9,126 | -3.1% |
| Count | 3,700 | 3,439 | -7.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.25 | 1.15 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Breault bearers went from 3,700 to 3,439 (-7.1% change). The surname moved down 272 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,854 to #9,126.
FAQ
Breault surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Breault?
Name Census estimates that about 3,944 living Americans carry the surname Breault. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 86,905 residents.
How common is Breault?
Breault ranks #9,126 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.15 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 3,439 people with the surname Breault. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,944), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.15 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.15 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 Breault.
Has Breault become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Breault went from 3,700 recorded bearers to 3,439. That is a decrease of 261 (-7.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,854 to #9,126.
What does the Census say about the background of Breault?
Among Census respondents with the surname Breault, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Breault in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.3% (3,209 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Breault appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.3%), Hispanic (2.7%), Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Breault (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 Breault mean?
A French occupational surname for someone who brewed beer or ale. 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 Breault (1.15 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 last name Breault?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans have the surname Breault at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.