2000
#13,912
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,990
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.74
Rare Last name
Charboneau
A French occupational surname referring to a coal merchant or charcoal maker.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,259 Americans carry the last name Charboneau. That puts it at #14,543 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.66 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 151,728 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Charboneau 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
2.3K
1 in 151,728
Census rank
#14,543
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,970 bearers of the surname Charboneau in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.66 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14543rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Charboneau, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.3%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (8.8%) and Two or More Races (5.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Charboneau
The surname Charboneau originates from France, specifically the regions of Normandy and Poitou, during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old French word "charbonnier," meaning "charcoal burner" or "coal maker." This occupation-based surname was likely given to someone who worked in the production or trade of charcoal.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the records of the Seigneurie de Beaupré, near Quebec City, Canada, dating back to the late 17th century. It is believed that the first Charboneau settlers arrived in New France (present-day Quebec) around this time, likely from the Normandy or Poitou regions of France.
In the 13th century, a variant spelling of the name, "Charbonneau," appeared in the Cartulaire de l'abbaye de Notre-Dame de la Trappe, a medieval manuscript from the Normandy region. This document recorded land transactions and other official matters involving individuals with this surname.
Notable individuals with the surname Charboneau throughout history include Jean-Baptiste Charboneau (1805-1866), the son of the famous Shoshone guide Sacagawea and her husband, Toussaint Charboneau. Jean-Baptiste played a significant role in the exploration of the American West during the early 19th century.
Another prominent figure was Narcisse Charboneau (1818-1893), a fur trader and explorer who was active in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States and Canada during the mid-19th century.
In the 20th century, Louis Charboneau (1924-2003) was a French-Canadian artist and painter known for his landscapes and portrayal of rural life in Quebec.
Additionally, Marie-Joseph Charboneau (1675-1761) was one of the earliest recorded settlers in the Beaupré region of Quebec, arriving from France in the late 17th century.
The surname Charboneau can also be traced back to the village of Charbonnières in the Rhône-Alpes region of France, suggesting a possible connection to this place name for some individuals with this surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Charboneau
Among Census respondents with the surname Charboneau, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.3%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (8.8%) and Two or More Races (5.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Charboneau 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 Charboneau surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.3% · 1,581
- American Indian and Alaska Native8.8% · 173
- Two or more races5.2% · 103
- Hispanic or Latino4.9% · 96
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 13
- Black or African American0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Charboneau
Charboneau 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
#14,184
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,117
+127 bearers (+6.4%)
Per 100,000 0.72
Rank movement Down 272 places
2020
#14,543
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,970
-147 bearers (-6.9%)
Per 100,000 0.66
Rank movement Down 359 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,912 | 1,990 | 0.74 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,184 | 2,117 | 0.72 | +127 bearers (+6.4%) | Down 272 places |
| 2020 | #14,543 | 1,970 | 0.66 | -147 bearers (-6.9%) | Down 359 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 Charboneau 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 | #14,184 | #14,543 | -2.5% |
| Count | 2,117 | 1,970 | -6.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.72 | 0.66 | -8.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Charboneau bearers went from 2,117 to 1,970 (-6.9% change). The surname moved down 359 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,184 to #14,543.
FAQ
Charboneau surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Charboneau?
Name Census estimates that about 2,259 living Americans carry the surname Charboneau. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 151,728 residents.
How common is Charboneau?
Charboneau ranks #14,543 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.66 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 1,970 people with the surname Charboneau. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,259), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.66 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.66 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 Charboneau.
Has Charboneau become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Charboneau went from 2,117 recorded bearers to 1,970. That is a decrease of 147 (-6.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,184 to #14,543.
What does the Census say about the background of Charboneau?
Among Census respondents with the surname Charboneau, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.3%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (8.8%) and Two or More Races (5.2%). 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 Charboneau in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.3% (1,581 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Charboneau appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.3%), American Indian/Alaska Native (8.8%), Two or More Races (5.2%). 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 Charboneau (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 Charboneau mean?
A French occupational surname referring to a coal merchant or charcoal maker. 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 Charboneau (0.66 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 Charboneau?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.