2000
#11,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,397
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.89
Rare Last name
Cournoyer
A French topographic surname referring to someone who lived near an alder grove or near a walnut tree.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,777 Americans carry the last name Cournoyer. That puts it at #12,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.81 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 123,426 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cournoyer 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
2.8K
1 in 123,426
Census rank
#12,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,422 bearers of the surname Cournoyer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.81 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cournoyer, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.0%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (10.0%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cournoyer
Among Census respondents with the surname Cournoyer, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.0%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (10.0%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Cournoyer 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 Cournoyer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.0% · 2,010
- American Indian and Alaska Native10.0% · 243
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 76
- Two or more races2.8% · 67
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 21
- Black or African American0.2% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cournoyer
Cournoyer 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
#12,444
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,496
+99 bearers (+4.1%)
Per 100,000 0.85
Rank movement Down 490 places
2020
#12,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,422
-74 bearers (-3.0%)
Per 100,000 0.81
Rank movement Up 174 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,954 | 2,397 | 0.89 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,444 | 2,496 | 0.85 | +99 bearers (+4.1%) | Down 490 places |
| 2020 | #12,270 | 2,422 | 0.81 | -74 bearers (-3.0%) | Up 174 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 Cournoyer 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 | #12,444 | #12,270 | 1.4% |
| Count | 2,496 | 2,422 | -3.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.85 | 0.81 | -4.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cournoyer bearers went from 2,496 to 2,422 (-3.0% change). The surname moved up 174 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,444 to #12,270.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Cournoyer
FAQ
Cournoyer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cournoyer?
Name Census estimates that about 2,777 living Americans carry the surname Cournoyer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 123,426 residents.
How common is Cournoyer?
Cournoyer ranks #12,270 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.81 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 2,422 people with the surname Cournoyer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,777), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.81 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.81 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 Cournoyer.
Has Cournoyer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cournoyer went from 2,496 recorded bearers to 2,422. That is a decrease of 74 (-3.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #12,444 to #12,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Cournoyer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cournoyer, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.0%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (10.0%) and Hispanic (3.1%). 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 Cournoyer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.0% (2,010 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cournoyer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.0%), American Indian/Alaska Native (10.0%), Hispanic (3.1%). 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 Cournoyer (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 Cournoyer mean?
A French topographic surname referring to someone who lived near an alder grove or near a walnut tree. 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 Cournoyer (0.81 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 share the surname Cournoyer?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.