2000
#9,789
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,049
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.13
Rare Last name
Courson
A French occupational surname referring to someone who engages in deals or barters, derived from the Old French "coursier."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,385 Americans carry the last name Courson. That puts it at #10,380 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.99 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 101,257 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Courson 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
3.4K
1 in 101,257
Census rank
#10,380
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,952 bearers of the surname Courson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.99 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10380th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Courson, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Courson
The surname Courson has its origins in France, with the earliest records dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old French word "court," meaning "short" or "small," and the suffix "-son," indicating a diminutive form. This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone of short stature or a small person.
One of the earliest references to the name Courson can be found in the cartulary of the Abbey of Saint-Denis, where a certain Robertus Courson is mentioned in a document dated 1181. This indicates that the name was already in use during the late 12th century in the region around Paris.
Another early reference to the Courson name appears in the Domesday Book, a medieval census commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The book records a landowner named Radulfus Courson, who held estates in Somerset, England, suggesting that the name had spread beyond France by the late 11th century.
In the 13th century, a notable figure bearing the Courson surname was Raoul de Courson, a French theologian and cardinal who lived from around 1165 to 1235. He played a prominent role in the Catholic Church and was known for his work on canon law.
During the 16th century, the Courson family held significant landholdings in the region of Normandy, France. One notable member was Philippe de Courson, Seigneur de Celigny (1533-1603), who served as a military commander under Henry IV of France.
Another prominent individual with the Courson surname was Gabriel de Courson, Marquis de la Villeneuve (1617-1687), a French nobleman and military leader who fought in the Thirty Years' War and the Franco-Spanish War.
In the 18th century, the Courson name was associated with the town of Courson-les-Carrières, located in the Yonne department of Burgundy, France. This suggests that the surname may have originated from or been associated with this particular locality.
Throughout its history, the Courson surname has been subject to various spellings and variations, including Coursson, Courçon, and Courçon-la-Ville, reflecting regional differences and the evolution of the French language over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Courson
Among Census respondents with the surname Courson, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Courson 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 Courson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.5% · 2,730
- Two or more races3.1% · 91
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 76
- Black or African American0.7% · 20
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 18
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 17
Timeline
Historical Census data for Courson
Courson 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
#9,953
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,244
+195 bearers (+6.4%)
Per 100,000 1.10
Rank movement Down 164 places
2020
#10,380
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,952
-292 bearers (-9.0%)
Per 100,000 0.99
Rank movement Down 427 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,789 | 3,049 | 1.13 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,953 | 3,244 | 1.10 | +195 bearers (+6.4%) | Down 164 places |
| 2020 | #10,380 | 2,952 | 0.99 | -292 bearers (-9.0%) | Down 427 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 Courson 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 | #9,953 | #10,380 | -4.3% |
| Count | 3,244 | 2,952 | -9.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.10 | 0.99 | -10.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Courson bearers went from 3,244 to 2,952 (-9.0% change). The surname moved down 427 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,953 to #10,380.
FAQ
Courson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Courson?
Name Census estimates that about 3,385 living Americans carry the surname Courson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 101,257 residents.
How common is Courson?
Courson ranks #10,380 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.99 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 2,952 people with the surname Courson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,385), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.99 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.99 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 Courson.
Has Courson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Courson went from 3,244 recorded bearers to 2,952. That is a decrease of 292 (-9.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,953 to #10,380.
What does the Census say about the background of Courson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Courson, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Courson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.5% (2,730 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Courson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.5%), Two or More Races (3.1%), Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Courson (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 Courson mean?
A French occupational surname referring to someone who engages in deals or barters, derived from the Old French "coursier." 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 Courson (0.99 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 last name Courson?
Want to know how many Americans have the surname Courson? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.