2000
#2,412
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,784
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.11
Uncommon Last name
Daigle
A French occupational surname derived from "dail," referring to a reaper or mower of hay or grain.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 16,037 Americans carry the last name Daigle. That puts it at #2,510 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.68 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 21,373 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Daigle 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
16K
1 in 21,373
Census rank
#2,510
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
14K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 13,985 bearers of the surname Daigle in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.68 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2510th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Daigle, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Black (3.1%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Daigle
The surname Daigle has its origins in France, specifically the region of Normandy. It is believed to have emerged during the Middle Ages, around the 12th or 13th century. The name is derived from the Old French word "dail," which translates to "dale" or "valley."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Daigle can be found in the records of the Duchy of Normandy, where a certain Raoul Daigle was mentioned in 1195. This suggests that the name was already established in the region by the late 12th century.
During the Norman conquest of England in the 11th century, many Norman families, including those bearing the surname Daigle, settled in various parts of the British Isles. However, the name does not appear to have been recorded in the famous Domesday Book, compiled in 1086.
In the 13th century, a notable figure named Geoffroy Daigle was recorded as a member of the French nobility in the region of Normandy. This indicates that the surname had gained some prominence among the upper classes of the time.
As the centuries passed, the Daigle family spread to other parts of France and beyond. One notable individual was Jean Daigle, a French explorer who participated in the colonization of Canada in the 17th century. He is believed to have been born around 1620 and played a role in the early exploration and settlement of the Canadian territories.
Another prominent figure with the surname Daigle was Antoine Daigle, a French-Canadian businessman and politician who lived in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. He was born in 1760 and served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada from 1808 to 1810.
In the field of literature, the name Daigle gained recognition through the works of French-Canadian author Véronique Daigle, born in 1968. Her novels and short stories have received critical acclaim and have contributed to the cultural heritage of the region.
The surname Daigle also has a notable presence in the world of sports. One example is Patrice Daigle, a Canadian professional ice hockey player who was born in 1977 and played for several teams in the National Hockey League (NHL) during his career.
While the name Daigle has its roots in Normandy, France, it has since spread to various parts of the world, particularly through French colonization and migration. It has become a part of the cultural tapestry of many regions, carrying with it a rich historical legacy that spans centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Daigle
Among Census respondents with the surname Daigle, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Black (3.1%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Daigle 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 Daigle surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.1% · 12,597
- Black or African American3.1% · 428
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 428
- Two or more races2.7% · 372
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 85
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 75
Timeline
Historical Census data for Daigle
Daigle 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
#2,566
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,084
+300 bearers (+2.2%)
Per 100,000 4.77
Rank movement Down 154 places
2020
#2,510
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,985
-99 bearers (-0.7%)
Per 100,000 4.68
Rank movement Up 56 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,412 | 13,784 | 5.11 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,566 | 14,084 | 4.77 | +300 bearers (+2.2%) | Down 154 places |
| 2020 | #2,510 | 13,985 | 4.68 | -99 bearers (-0.7%) | Up 56 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 Daigle 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 | #2,566 | #2,510 | 2.2% |
| Count | 14,084 | 13,985 | -0.7% |
| Per 100K | 4.77 | 4.68 | -1.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Daigle bearers went from 14,084 to 13,985 (-0.7% change). The surname moved up 56 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,566 to #2,510.
FAQ
Daigle surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Daigle?
Name Census estimates that about 16,037 living Americans carry the surname Daigle. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 21,373 residents.
How common is Daigle?
Daigle ranks #2,510 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.68 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 13,985 people with the surname Daigle. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (16,037), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.68 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.68 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Daigle.
Has Daigle become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Daigle went from 14,084 recorded bearers to 13,985. That is a decrease of 99 (-0.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #2,566 to #2,510.
What does the Census say about the background of Daigle?
Among Census respondents with the surname Daigle, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Black (3.1%) 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 Daigle in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.1% (12,597 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Daigle appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.1%), Black (3.1%), 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 Daigle (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 Daigle mean?
A French occupational surname derived from "dail," referring to a reaper or mower of hay or grain. 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 Daigle (4.68 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 Daigle?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.