2010
#148,347
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Carillon
A surname derived from the French word meaning a set of bells hung in a tower.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 134 Americans carry the last name Carillon. That puts it at #144,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,557,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Carillon 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
134
1 in 2,557,868
Census rank
#144,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
117
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 117 bearers of the surname Carillon in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 144270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Carillon, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.1%) and Black (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Carillon
The surname Carillon is of French origin, derived from the French word "carillon," which means "a set of bells hung in a tower." This name likely originated in the late medieval period, possibly in the 12th or 13th century.
Carillon was initially a term used to describe the ringing of bells, especially in churches and monasteries. It is believed that the surname was adopted by individuals who played or maintained these bell towers, or by those who lived near such structures.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Carillon can be found in the 14th century. In 1376, a document from the city of Arras in northern France mentions a certain "Jean Carillon" as a resident.
The town of Carillon, located in the Aisne department of northern France, may have contributed to the spread of this surname. The name of this town is thought to have been derived from the Latin word "quadrillionem," meaning "a small square."
In the 16th century, the name Carillon appears in historical records from the Netherlands. A notable bearer of this surname was Matthias Carillon, a Dutch composer and organist born in 1548 in Bruges. He is known for his contributions to the development of the carillon instrument.
Another famous individual with the surname Carillon was Jacques Carillon, a French mathematician and astronomer born in 1613 in Dourdan, near Paris. He made significant contributions to the field of astronomy and was a member of the French Academy of Sciences.
In the 18th century, the name Carillon can be found in records from the French colonies in North America. A notable example is Philippe Carillon, a French-Canadian soldier and explorer born in 1708 in Montreal. He played a role in the defense of Fort Carillon (now known as Fort Ticonderoga) during the French and Indian War.
The surname Carillon also has connections to the city of Mons in Belgium, where a famous carillon tower is located. The Mons Carillon was constructed in the 15th century and is considered one of the most impressive carillon towers in Europe.
Throughout history, the surname Carillon has been associated with individuals involved in music, particularly in the field of bell ringing and carillon playing. It has also been linked to geographical locations and landmarks related to bell towers and carillons.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Carillon
Among Census respondents with the surname Carillon, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.1%) and Black (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Carillon 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 Carillon surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.2% · 109
- Hispanic or Latino5.1% · 6
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Carillon
Carillon appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#144,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
+6 bearers (+5.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 4,077 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #148,347 | 111 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #144,270 | 117 | 0.04 | +6 bearers (+5.4%) | Up 4,077 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 Carillon 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 | #148,347 | #144,270 | 2.7% |
| Count | 111 | 117 | 5.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -2.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Carillon bearers went from 111 to 117 (+5.4% change). The surname moved up 4,077 positions in the national ranking, going from #148,347 to #144,270.
FAQ
Carillon surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Carillon?
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the surname Carillon. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,557,868 residents.
How common is Carillon?
Carillon ranks #144,270 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 117 people with the surname Carillon. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (134), 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 Carillon.
Has Carillon become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Carillon went from 111 recorded bearers to 117. That is an increase of 6 (+5.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #148,347 to #144,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Carillon?
Among Census respondents with the surname Carillon, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.1%) and Black (0.9%). 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 Carillon in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.2% (109 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Carillon appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.2%), Hispanic (5.1%), Black (0.9%). 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 Carillon (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 Carillon mean?
A surname derived from the French word meaning a set of bells hung in a tower. 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 Carillon (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 Americans have the surname Carillon?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.