2010
#153,769
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Courtot
A French surname possibly derived from a diminutive of the word "court" meaning "short".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 117 Americans carry the last name Courtot. That puts it at #154,755 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,929,524 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Courtot 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
117
1 in 2,929,524
Census rank
#154,755
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
102
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 102 bearers of the surname Courtot in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154755th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Courtot, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Courtot
The surname Courtot originated in France during the medieval era. It is believed to have derived from the Old French word "cort," meaning "small farm" or "courtyard." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived or worked on a small farm or estate.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Courtot surname can be found in the Domesday Book, a manuscript commissioned in 1086 by William the Conqueror. This document mentions a landowner named Radulfus Courtot, who held estates in Normandy, France.
During the 13th century, the Courtot family established a presence in the Franche-Comté region of eastern France. Historical records from this period mention a prominent figure named Jean Courtot (c. 1225-1290), who served as a magistrate in the town of Besançon.
In the 15th century, the Courtot name appeared in the Burgundian Netherlands, which encompassed parts of modern-day Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands. A notable individual from this time was Hubert Courtot (c. 1420-1488), a wealthy merchant and landowner from the city of Bruges.
The 16th century saw the Courtot family spread to other parts of Europe, including Switzerland. One of the most famous bearers of this surname was the Swiss mathematician and astronomer Jacques Courtot (1528-1602), who made significant contributions to the field of celestial mechanics.
In the 17th century, the Courtot name gained prominence in the French province of Lorraine. A notable figure from this period was Michel Courtot (1640-1712), a military officer who served under King Louis XIV and participated in several major battles, including the War of the Spanish Succession.
As the Courtot surname continued to evolve over time, various spelling variations emerged, such as Courtault, Courtault, and Courtois. These variations often reflected regional dialects or linguistic differences within France and neighboring regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Courtot
Among Census respondents with the surname Courtot, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Courtot 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 Courtot surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.1% · 95
- Two or more races4.9% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.0% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Courtot
Courtot 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
#154,755
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
-4 bearers (-3.8%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 986 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #153,769 | 106 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #154,755 | 102 | 0.03 | -4 bearers (-3.8%) | Down 986 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 Courtot 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 | #153,769 | #154,755 | -0.6% |
| Count | 106 | 102 | -3.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -14.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Courtot bearers went from 106 to 102 (-3.8% change). The surname moved down 986 positions in the national ranking, going from #153,769 to #154,755.
FAQ
Courtot surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Courtot?
Name Census estimates that about 117 living Americans carry the surname Courtot. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,929,524 residents.
How common is Courtot?
Courtot ranks #154,755 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 102 people with the surname Courtot. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (117), 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 Courtot.
Has Courtot become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Courtot went from 106 recorded bearers to 102. That is a decrease of 4 (-3.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #153,769 to #154,755.
What does the Census say about the background of Courtot?
Among Census respondents with the surname Courtot, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.0%). 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 Courtot in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.1% (95 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Courtot appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.1%), Two or More Races (4.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.0%). 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 Courtot (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 Courtot mean?
A French surname possibly derived from a diminutive of the word "court" meaning "short". 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 Courtot (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 Courtot?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.