2000
#9,287
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,227
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.20
Rare Last name
Courville
A French toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "short town" or "small settlement."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,745 Americans carry the last name Courville. That puts it at #9,521 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.09 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 91,523 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Courville 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
3.7K
1 in 91,523
Census rank
#9,521
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,266 bearers of the surname Courville in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.09 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9521st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Courville, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Courville
The surname Courville traces its origins to the Normandy region of France. It is a locational name derived from the place name "Courville-sur-Eure" in the department of Eure-et-Loir. The name is believed to have come from the Old French words "cort" meaning farmstead or small village, and "ville" meaning town or settlement.
The earliest recorded instance of the name Courville can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Curvilla" in reference to a landowner in Normandy. This indicates that the name was already established in the region prior to the Norman Conquest of England in 1066.
In the 12th century, there are records of a family bearing the name Courville living in the village of Courville-sur-Eure. This family was likely among the earliest to adopt the surname based on their place of residence.
One notable figure with the surname Courville was Jean de Courville, a French knight who fought in the Hundred Years' War (1337-1453) under King Charles VI. He was born around 1380 and died in battle near Rouen in 1418.
Another prominent individual was Robert de Courville, a French nobleman and landowner who lived in the 15th century. He was born in Courville-sur-Eure around 1420 and was known for his role in the local governance of the region.
In the 16th century, the name appears in records related to the French colonization of Canada. One of the earliest settlers with the name was Jacques Courville, who arrived in Quebec in 1665 and established a family line in the colony.
The surname Courville also has a long history in England, where it was likely introduced by Norman settlers after the conquest. One notable Englishman with the name was William Courville, a merchant and landowner who lived in the county of Sussex in the late 16th century.
In more recent times, the name Courville has been borne by individuals such as Alphonse Courville (1852-1924), a French-Canadian politician and lawyer who served in the legislative assembly of Quebec, and Cyril Courville (1897-1971), a Canadian ice hockey player who played for the Montreal Canadiens in the 1920s.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Courville
Among Census respondents with the surname Courville, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Courville 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 Courville surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.2% · 2,978
- Two or more races3.0% · 97
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 77
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.3% · 75
- Black or African American0.9% · 28
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Courville
Courville 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
#9,618
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,379
+152 bearers (+4.7%)
Per 100,000 1.15
Rank movement Down 331 places
2020
#9,521
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,266
-113 bearers (-3.3%)
Per 100,000 1.09
Rank movement Up 97 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,287 | 3,227 | 1.20 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,618 | 3,379 | 1.15 | +152 bearers (+4.7%) | Down 331 places |
| 2020 | #9,521 | 3,266 | 1.09 | -113 bearers (-3.3%) | Up 97 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 Courville 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 | #9,618 | #9,521 | 1.0% |
| Count | 3,379 | 3,266 | -3.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.15 | 1.09 | -5.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Courville bearers went from 3,379 to 3,266 (-3.3% change). The surname moved up 97 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,618 to #9,521.
FAQ
Courville surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Courville?
Name Census estimates that about 3,745 living Americans carry the surname Courville. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 91,523 residents.
How common is Courville?
Courville ranks #9,521 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.09 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 3,266 people with the surname Courville. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,745), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.09 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.09 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 Courville.
Has Courville become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Courville went from 3,379 recorded bearers to 3,266. That is a decrease of 113 (-3.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #9,618 to #9,521.
What does the Census say about the background of Courville?
Among Census respondents with the surname Courville, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.4%). 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 Courville in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.2% (2,978 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Courville appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.2%), Two or More Races (3.0%), Hispanic (2.4%). 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 Courville (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 Courville mean?
A French toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "short town" or "small settlement." 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 Courville (1.09 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 common is the surname Courville?
See how many people have the surname Courville on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.