2010
#146,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Courant
A French surname meaning "running" or "flowing" stream or current.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 118 Americans carry the last name Courant. That puts it at #154,182 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,904,698 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Courant 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
118
1 in 2,904,698
Census rank
#154,182
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
103
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 103 bearers of the surname Courant in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154182nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Courant, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (8.7%) and Black (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Courant
The surname Courant has its origins in France, tracing back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old French word "corant," meaning "running" or "flowing." The name likely referred to someone who lived near a rapidly flowing stream or river.
In its earliest recorded instances, the name appeared in various spellings such as Corant, Courant, and Courauld. These variations were common due to the inconsistencies in spelling and record-keeping during the Middle Ages.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Jean Courant, a merchant from the village of Courant-sur-Eure in the region of Normandy, mentioned in records from 1264.
The Courant name also appears in several historical documents, including the Cartulaire de l'Abbaye de Sainte-Trinité de Caen, a manuscript dating back to the 13th century. This manuscript contains references to individuals with the surname Courant residing in the Normandy region.
During the 14th century, the name Courant was found in various regions of France, including Brittany and the Île-de-France. Notable individuals bearing this surname include Pierre Courant, a merchant from Paris who lived between 1320 and 1382, and Jeanne Courant, a noblewoman from the village of Courant-sur-Eure, mentioned in records from 1375.
In the 16th century, the Courant family gained prominence in the city of Lyon, where they were involved in the silk trade. One of the most renowned members of this family was Jacques Courant (1520-1592), a successful merchant and philanthropist who contributed significantly to the city's development.
Over the centuries, the Courant surname has been associated with notable figures across various fields. Some examples include:
1. Jacques Courant (1678-1761), a French mathematician and physicist known for his contributions to the study of calculus and mechanics.
2. Maurice Courant (1865-1935), a French painter and illustrator renowned for his landscapes and portraiture.
3. Richard Courant (1888-1972), a German-American mathematician who made significant contributions to the fields of applied mathematics and mathematical physics.
4. Émilie Courant (1892-1990), a French sculptor and ceramist known for her modernist works.
5. Victor Courant (1915-2001), a French resistance fighter during World War II and later a prominent businessman.
While the Courant surname has its roots in France, it has since spread to other parts of the world, including North America and Europe, due to migration and diaspora over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Courant
Among Census respondents with the surname Courant, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (8.7%) and Black (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Courant 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 Courant surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.4% · 90
- Two or more races8.7% · 9
- Black or African American1.9% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Courant
Courant 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
#154,182
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
-10 bearers (-8.8%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 7,981 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #146,201 | 113 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #154,182 | 103 | 0.03 | -10 bearers (-8.8%) | Down 7,981 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 Courant 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 | #146,201 | #154,182 | -5.5% |
| Count | 113 | 103 | -8.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Courant bearers went from 113 to 103 (-8.8% change). The surname moved down 7,981 positions in the national ranking, going from #146,201 to #154,182.
FAQ
Courant surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Courant?
Name Census estimates that about 118 living Americans carry the surname Courant. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,904,698 residents.
How common is Courant?
Courant ranks #154,182 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 103 people with the surname Courant. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (118), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Courant.
Has Courant become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Courant went from 113 recorded bearers to 103. That is a decrease of 10 (-8.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #146,201 to #154,182.
What does the Census say about the background of Courant?
Among Census respondents with the surname Courant, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (8.7%) and Black (1.9%). 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 Courant in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.4% (90 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Courant appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.4%), Two or More Races (8.7%), Black (1.9%). 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 Courant (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 Courant mean?
A French surname meaning "running" or "flowing" stream or current. 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 Courant (0.03 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 Courant?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.