2000
#132,259
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Cayouette
A French surname most likely derived from the French word for "little hut" or "small cabin".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 123 Americans carry the last name Cayouette. That puts it at #151,639 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,786,621 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cayouette 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
123
1 in 2,786,621
Census rank
#151,639
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
107
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 107 bearers of the surname Cayouette in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 151639th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cayouette, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.5%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cayouette
The surname Cayouette originated in France, first appearing in the 16th century. It is derived from the Old French word "caiou," meaning "small hut" or "cabin," which suggests that the name may have been given to someone who lived in a small dwelling or worked as a cabin maker.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Cayouette can be found in the parish records of Saint-Étienne-de-Beaumont in Normandy, France, where a Jean Cayouette was listed in 1563. This area was likely the initial point of origin for the name before it spread to other regions of France and eventually to other parts of the world.
In the 17th century, the name Cayouette began appearing in the records of French settlers in Canada. One of the earliest known bearers of the name in the New World was Jacques Cayouette, who arrived in Quebec in 1664 and later married Marie Bellefleur in 1669.
Another notable bearer of the Cayouette name was Jean-Baptiste Cayouette, a merchant and trader who lived in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. He was involved in the fur trade and played a significant role in the development of the colony of New France.
In the 19th century, a prominent figure with the Cayouette surname was Joseph-Édouard Cayouette, a Canadian politician who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Quebec from 1867 to 1875. He was born in 1819 and died in 1890.
Another individual of note was Isidore Cayouette, a Canadian painter and sculptor who was born in 1853 and died in 1922. He is known for his works depicting scenes from rural Quebec life and his contributions to the development of Canadian art.
Throughout history, the Cayouette name has also been associated with various place names and locations. For instance, there is a small village in Quebec called Cayouette, which likely took its name from an early settler or landowner with the surname.
While the Cayouette surname may have originated from humble beginnings, referring to those who lived in small huts or cabins, it has since become a part of the rich cultural tapestry of both France and Canada, with bearers of the name leaving their mark in various fields over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cayouette
Among Census respondents with the surname Cayouette, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.5%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Cayouette 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 Cayouette surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.8% · 95
- Hispanic or Latino6.5% · 7
- Two or more races2.8% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cayouette
Cayouette 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
#151,532
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
-10 bearers (-8.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 19,273 places
2020
#151,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
-1 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 107 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #132,259 | 118 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #151,532 | 108 | 0.04 | -10 bearers (-8.5%) | Down 19,273 places |
| 2020 | #151,639 | 107 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.9%) | Down 107 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 Cayouette 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 | #151,532 | #151,639 | -0.1% |
| Count | 108 | 107 | -0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -10.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cayouette bearers went from 108 to 107 (-0.9% change). The surname moved down 107 positions in the national ranking, going from #151,532 to #151,639.
FAQ
Cayouette surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cayouette?
Name Census estimates that about 123 living Americans carry the surname Cayouette. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,786,621 residents.
How common is Cayouette?
Cayouette ranks #151,639 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 107 people with the surname Cayouette. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (123), 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 Cayouette.
Has Cayouette become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cayouette went from 108 recorded bearers to 107. That is a decrease of 1 (-0.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #151,532 to #151,639.
What does the Census say about the background of Cayouette?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cayouette, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.5%) and Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Cayouette in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.8% (95 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cayouette appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.8%), Hispanic (6.5%), Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Cayouette (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 Cayouette mean?
A French surname most likely derived from the French word for "little hut" or "small cabin". 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 Cayouette (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 last name Cayouette?
If you just want to know how many Americans have the surname Cayouette, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.