Find out how popular the last name Cournoyer is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Cournoyer.

Cournoyer, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Cournoyer surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Cournoyer in America

Cournoyer is the 12444th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Cournoyer surname appeared 2,496 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Cournoyer.

We can also compare 2010 data for Cournoyer to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Cournoyer

The surname Cournoyer originated in France during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old French word "cournoier," which means "to encircle" or "to crown." This name was likely given to someone who lived near a circular or crown-shaped landmark or perhaps a craftsman who specialized in making crowns or circular objects.

The earliest recorded instances of the Cournoyer surname can be traced back to the 12th century in the regions of Normandy and Brittany in northern France. The name appears in various historical records from that time, such as the Livre des Bourgeois de Rouen, which documented the citizens of the city of Rouen.

One of the earliest known bearers of the Cournoyer surname was Jean Cournoyer, who lived in the village of Barfleur in Normandy in the late 12th century. He was a fisherman by trade and is mentioned in local records from that period.

In the 14th century, the Cournoyer name was also found in the Domesday Book, a survey of land ownership commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. This suggests that some members of the Cournoyer family may have been among the Norman settlers who accompanied William to England.

During the Renaissance period, a notable figure with the Cournoyer surname was Pierre Cournoyer (1510-1583), a French cleric and philosopher from Paris. He was known for his writings on theology and moral philosophy, and his works were widely read across Europe during his lifetime.

Another prominent individual with the Cournoyer surname was Jacques Cournoyer (1675-1744), a French military officer who served under King Louis XIV. He rose through the ranks and eventually became a lieutenant general, participating in several major battles during the War of the Spanish Succession.

In the 19th century, Antoine Cournoyer (1824-1898) was a renowned French-Canadian painter and sculptor. He is best known for his portraits and religious artwork, which can be found in churches and museums throughout Quebec and eastern Canada.

Over the centuries, variations of the Cournoyer surname have emerged, such as Cournoie, Cournouail, and Cournouaille, but the core meaning and origins remain the same, tracing back to the Old French word "cournoier" and the regions of Normandy and Brittany in northern France.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Cournoyer

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Cournoyer.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Cournoyer was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Cournoyer has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Cournoyer was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Cournoyer, please contact us.

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