2000
#4,813
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,702
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.48
Rare Last name
Comeaux
A French occupational surname derived from "commeaux," referring to a merchant or trader who transports goods.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,802 Americans carry the last name Comeaux. That puts it at #5,001 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.28 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 43,932 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Comeaux 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
7.8K
1 in 43,932
Census rank
#5,001
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,804 bearers of the surname Comeaux in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.28 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5001st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Comeaux, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.5%. The next largest groups are Black (18.5%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Comeaux
The surname Comeaux originated in France, where its earliest known origins date back to the 16th century. It is derived from the French word "comeau," which means a small hill or mound, suggesting that the name was initially associated with people who lived near or on small hills.
In the 17th century, many French settlers immigrated to the region that is now known as Acadie, present-day Nova Scotia and parts of eastern Canada. It is believed that the Comeaux name was brought to this region by some of these early French settlers. Historical records from this time show variations of the spelling, including Commeau, Commeault, and Commo.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Comeaux name appears in the 1671 census of Acadian families, which lists a Jacques Comeaux and his wife, Marie Thibodeau. This couple is considered among the progenitors of the Comeaux lineage in Acadie.
During the Great Upheaval, also known as the Acadian Expulsion of 1755-1763, many Acadians with the surname Comeaux were forcibly deported from their homes by the British. Some of these families eventually found refuge in Louisiana, where the name became more firmly established in the United States.
Notable individuals with the Comeaux surname include:
1. Emile Comeaux (1856-1935), a Cajun fiddle player and composer from Louisiana, known for his contributions to the Cajun music tradition.
2. André Comeaux (1828-1898), a Cajun soldier who fought for the Union during the American Civil War and received the Medal of Honor for his bravery.
3. Édouard Comeaux (1876-1952), a French-Canadian politician who served as a member of the Canadian House of Commons from 1925 to 1935.
4. Jean-Baptiste Comeaux (1799-1888), a prominent Acadian community leader and farmer in Louisiana, who played a significant role in preserving Cajun culture and traditions.
5. Rémi Comeaux (1908-1991), a renowned Cajun musician and accordion player from Louisiana, widely regarded as a master of the traditional Cajun music style.
The Comeaux name has a rich history that spans several centuries and reflects the migration patterns and cultural influences of French settlers in North America. While its origins can be traced back to France, the name has become deeply intertwined with the Acadian and Cajun communities of eastern Canada and Louisiana.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Comeaux
Among Census respondents with the surname Comeaux, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.5%. The next largest groups are Black (18.5%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Comeaux 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 Comeaux surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White74.5% · 5,067
- Black or African American18.5% · 1,260
- Two or more races3.3% · 226
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 194
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 34
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 23
Timeline
Historical Census data for Comeaux
Comeaux 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
#4,972
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,066
+364 bearers (+5.4%)
Per 100,000 2.40
Rank movement Down 159 places
2020
#5,001
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,804
-262 bearers (-3.7%)
Per 100,000 2.28
Rank movement Down 29 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,813 | 6,702 | 2.48 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,972 | 7,066 | 2.40 | +364 bearers (+5.4%) | Down 159 places |
| 2020 | #5,001 | 6,804 | 2.28 | -262 bearers (-3.7%) | Down 29 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 Comeaux 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 | #4,972 | #5,001 | -0.6% |
| Count | 7,066 | 6,804 | -3.7% |
| Per 100K | 2.40 | 2.28 | -5.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Comeaux bearers went from 7,066 to 6,804 (-3.7% change). The surname moved down 29 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,972 to #5,001.
FAQ
Comeaux surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Comeaux?
Name Census estimates that about 7,802 living Americans carry the surname Comeaux. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 43,932 residents.
How common is Comeaux?
Comeaux ranks #5,001 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.28 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,804 people with the surname Comeaux. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,802), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.28 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.28 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Comeaux.
Has Comeaux become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Comeaux went from 7,066 recorded bearers to 6,804. That is a decrease of 262 (-3.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,972 to #5,001.
What does the Census say about the background of Comeaux?
Among Census respondents with the surname Comeaux, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.5%. The next largest groups are Black (18.5%) and Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Comeaux in the 2020 Census, accounting for 74.5% (5,067 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Comeaux appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (74.5%), Black (18.5%), Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Comeaux (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 Comeaux mean?
A French occupational surname derived from "commeaux," referring to a merchant or trader who transports goods. 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 Comeaux (2.28 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 surname Comeaux?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.