2010
#131,379
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 129
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Cataquet
A surname possibly referring to someone who lived in a small house or cottage.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 144 Americans carry the last name Cataquet. That puts it at #137,553 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,380,238 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cataquet 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
144
1 in 2,380,238
Census rank
#137,553
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
126
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 126 bearers of the surname Cataquet in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 137553rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cataquet, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.5%. The next largest groups are White (5.6%) and Black (3.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cataquet
The surname Cataquet originates from the Occitan region of southern France, particularly the area around the town of Carcassonne. It first appears in records dating back to the 13th century, likely derived from the Occitan word "cataquit," meaning "small house" or "cottage."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in a manuscript from 1268, which mentions a certain Guilhem Cataquet, a landowner in the village of Trèbes near Carcassonne. This suggests that the name may have initially been an occupational surname, referring to someone who lived in a small dwelling or cottage.
In the 14th century, the name appears in various forms, such as "Cataquetz" and "Cataquitz," reflecting the linguistic variations of the time. During this period, a notable figure named Arnaud Cataquet (c. 1320-1382) is recorded as a merchant and landowner in the town of Limoux, known for its wine production.
As the name spread beyond the Occitan region, it underwent further transformations. In the 15th century, there is mention of a Jacques Cataquet (c. 1450-1515), a physician from the city of Montpellier, who was renowned for his medical treatises on the treatment of plague and other diseases.
The 16th century saw the rise of a prominent family of Cataquets in the Languedoc region. Pierre Cataquet (1523-1592) was a respected lawyer and judge in the city of Nîmes, while his son, Jean Cataquet (1558-1629), became a renowned Protestant theologian and author of several religious texts.
In the 17th century, the name appears to have gained a foothold in the northern regions of France. A notable figure from this era is François Cataquet (1628-1689), a military officer who served under King Louis XIV and participated in several major battles during the Franco-Dutch War.
Throughout the centuries, the Cataquet surname has undergone various spelling variations, including Catacquet, Cataquette, and Cataquès, reflecting regional linguistic differences. However, the core meaning and origin of the name have remained rooted in the Occitan heritage of southern France.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cataquet
Among Census respondents with the surname Cataquet, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.5%. The next largest groups are White (5.6%) and Black (3.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Cataquet 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 Cataquet surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino90.5% · 114
- White5.6% · 7
- Black or African American3.2% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cataquet
Cataquet 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
#137,553
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 126
-3 bearers (-2.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,174 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #131,379 | 129 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #137,553 | 126 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.3%) | Down 6,174 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 Cataquet 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 | #131,379 | #137,553 | -4.7% |
| Count | 129 | 126 | -2.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 5.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cataquet bearers went from 129 to 126 (-2.3% change). The surname moved down 6,174 positions in the national ranking, going from #131,379 to #137,553.
FAQ
Cataquet surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cataquet?
Name Census estimates that about 144 living Americans carry the surname Cataquet. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,380,238 residents.
How common is Cataquet?
Cataquet ranks #137,553 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 126 people with the surname Cataquet. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (144), 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 Cataquet.
Has Cataquet become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cataquet went from 129 recorded bearers to 126. That is a decrease of 3 (-2.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #131,379 to #137,553.
What does the Census say about the background of Cataquet?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cataquet, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.5%. The next largest groups are White (5.6%) and Black (3.2%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Cataquet in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.5% (114 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cataquet appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (90.5%), White (5.6%), Black (3.2%). 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 Cataquet (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 Cataquet mean?
A surname possibly referring to someone who lived in a small house or cottage. 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 Cataquet (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 Cataquet?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.