Couture last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Couture

A French occupational surname referring to a tailor, dressmaker, or fashion designer.

Couture, 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 Couture surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Couture in America

Couture is the 4165th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Couture surname appeared 8,508 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Couture.

We can also compare 2010 data for Couture 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 4165 3967 4.87%
Count 8,508 8,222 3.42%
Proportion per 100k 2.88 3.05 -5.73%

The history of the last name Couture

The surname Couture has its origins in France, where it first emerged in the 12th century. It is derived from the Old French word "cousture," which means "sewing" or "needlework." This occupational name was likely given to an ancestor who worked as a tailor or seamstress.

The earliest recorded instance of the name Couture dates back to the 13th century, when it appeared in the records of the city of Paris. During this time, the name was often spelled as "Cousturier" or "Cousturiere." Over the centuries, the spelling evolved to the modern form of "Couture."

One of the earliest notable individuals with the surname Couture was Jean Couture, a French merchant who lived in the 15th century and was involved in the textile trade. Another early bearer of the name was Jacques Couture, a French explorer who accompanied Samuel de Champlain to Canada in the early 17th century and is considered one of the first European settlers in the Quebec region.

In the 18th century, Antoine Couture (1702-1775) was a prominent French architect who designed several notable buildings in Paris, including the Church of Saint-Roch and the Palais Bourbon, the former seat of the French National Assembly.

The surname Couture also has a rich history in Canada, where many French settlers with this name established themselves in the 17th and 18th centuries. One notable Canadian with this surname was Philippe Couture (1677-1754), a fur trader and explorer who played a significant role in the exploration of the Canadian Northwest.

Another famous individual with the surname Couture was Thomas Couture (1815-1879), a French painter and teacher who was a prominent figure in the Realist movement of the 19th century. His most famous works include "The Romans of the Decadence" and "The Falconer."

While the surname Couture is most prevalent in France and Canada, it has also spread to other parts of the world due to migration and intermarriage. Despite its occupational origins, the name has transcended its humble beginnings and is now associated with a rich cultural heritage spanning several centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Couture

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

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 Couture was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 93.50% 7,955
Non-Hispanic Black Only 0.46% 39
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 0.71% 60
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 1.63% 139
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 2.09% 178
Hispanic Origin 1.61% 137

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 Couture has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 93.50% 94.60% -1.17%
Black 0.46% 0.30% 42.11%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.71% 0.50% 34.71%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 1.63% 1.76% -7.67%
Two or More Races 2.09% 1.75% 17.71%
Hispanic 1.61% 1.08% 39.41%

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 Couture was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

Reference this page

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"Couture last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on October 10, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/couture-surname-popularity/.

"Couture last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/couture-surname-popularity/. Accessed 10 October, 2024

Couture last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/couture-surname-popularity/.

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