2010
#149,395
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Davieau
Derived from the French word "de aviaux" meaning "from the stream or brook".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139 Americans carry the last name Davieau. That puts it at #141,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,465,859 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Davieau 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
139
1 in 2,465,859
Census rank
#141,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
121
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 121 bearers of the surname Davieau in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 141309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Davieau, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Davieau
The surname DAVIEAU originated in France, with its earliest recorded examples dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to be a variant spelling of the French surname David, which is derived from the Hebrew name David, meaning "beloved" or "friend."
The name DAVIEAU is thought to have emerged in the regions of Normandy and Brittany in northern France, where it was likely influenced by the local dialects and pronunciation patterns. Some early recorded spellings of the name include Davieu, Davyeau, and Daviaut.
One of the earliest known references to the DAVIEAU surname can be found in the parish records of Saint-Malo, a coastal town in Brittany, where a family by the name of Davieau is mentioned in the late 1500s. This suggests that the name was already established in the area by that time.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the DAVIEAU name began to spread across France, with families bearing this surname appearing in various regions, including Poitou, Anjou, and Touraine. Some notable individuals with this surname from this period include:
1. Jacques DAVIEAU (1620-1687), a merchant and ship owner from La Rochelle, who played a prominent role in the French colonial trade with the West Indies.
2. Marie-Anne DAVIEAU (1682-1745), a renowned French painter and engraver from Paris, known for her portraits and religious works.
3. Pierre DAVIEAU (1701-1778), a French philosopher and theologian who served as a professor at the University of Paris.
In the 19th century, the DAVIEAU surname continued to be present in various parts of France, with some individuals emigrating to other parts of the world, including Canada and the United States. One notable figure from this period was:
4. Louis-Joseph DAVIEAU (1822-1898), a French-Canadian lawyer and politician who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Quebec and played a significant role in the development of the Canadian legal system.
Other examples of individuals bearing the DAVIEAU surname throughout history include:
5. Émile DAVIEAU (1833-1888), a French playwright and novelist, known for his works such as "Les Femmes Terribles" and "Le Paradis Perdu."
While the DAVIEAU surname may not be as widely known as some other French surnames, it has a rich history and has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including merchants, artists, scholars, and politicians.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Davieau
Among Census respondents with the surname Davieau, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Davieau 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 Davieau surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.9% · 110
- Hispanic or Latino4.1% · 5
- Two or more races3.3% · 4
- Black or African American1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Davieau
Davieau 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
#141,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
+11 bearers (+10.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 8,086 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #149,395 | 110 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #141,309 | 121 | 0.04 | +11 bearers (+10.0%) | Up 8,086 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 Davieau 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 | #149,395 | #141,309 | 5.4% |
| Count | 110 | 121 | 10.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 1.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Davieau bearers went from 110 to 121 (+10.0% change). The surname moved up 8,086 positions in the national ranking, going from #149,395 to #141,309.
FAQ
Davieau surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Davieau?
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the surname Davieau. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,465,859 residents.
How common is Davieau?
Davieau ranks #141,309 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 121 people with the surname Davieau. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (139), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Davieau.
Has Davieau become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Davieau went from 110 recorded bearers to 121. That is an increase of 11 (+10.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #149,395 to #141,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Davieau?
Among Census respondents with the surname Davieau, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Davieau in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.9% (110 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Davieau appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.9%), Hispanic (4.1%), Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Davieau (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 Davieau mean?
Derived from the French word "de aviaux" meaning "from the stream or brook". 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 Davieau (0.04 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 Davieau?
Want to know how common the surname Davieau is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.