2000
#77,472
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 230
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.09
Very Rare Last name
Degrenier
A French surname derived from the word "grenier", meaning someone who lived near or worked at a granary.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 230 Americans carry the last name Degrenier. That puts it at #96,965 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.07 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,490,236 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Degrenier 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
230
1 in 1,490,236
Census rank
#96,965
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
201
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 201 bearers of the surname Degrenier in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.07 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 96965th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Degrenier, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%) and Two or More Races (1.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Degrenier
The surname DEGRENIER originated in France during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old French word "grenier," which means "granary" or "grain storehouse." This name likely referred to someone who worked in or near a granary, or lived in an area known for its granaries.
The earliest recorded instances of the DEGRENIER surname can be found in various historical documents from the 13th and 14th centuries, including tax rolls, parish records, and legal documents. One notable example is a record from 1295 mentioning a certain Jacques Degrenier, a farmer from the village of Auvergne in central France.
During the 15th and 16th centuries, the spelling of the name evolved to include variations such as Degreniez, Degreniers, and Desgreniez, reflecting regional dialects and scribal variations in record-keeping.
In the 17th century, a prominent member of the DEGRENIER family was Jean-Baptiste Degrenier (1628-1690), a French architect and engineer known for his work on several notable buildings in Paris, including the Palais des Tuileries.
Another notable figure was François Degrenier (1745-1817), a French military officer who served under Napoleon Bonaparte and played a significant role in the Napoleonic Wars.
In the 19th century, a prominent bearer of the DEGRENIER name was Marie-Louise Degrenier (1823-1897), a French educator and author who wrote several books on teaching methods and childhood education.
The DEGRENIER surname also spread to other parts of Europe, particularly Belgium and Switzerland, where it is still found today. One example is Henri Degrenier (1891-1972), a Swiss painter and sculptor known for his modernist works.
Throughout history, the DEGRENIER name has been associated with various occupations, including farming, architecture, military service, education, and the arts, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and accomplishments of those who bore this surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Degrenier
Among Census respondents with the surname Degrenier, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%) and Two or More Races (1.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Degrenier 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 Degrenier surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.0% · 193
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 5
- Two or more races1.5% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Degrenier
Degrenier 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
#89,069
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 208
-22 bearers (-9.6%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Down 11,597 places
2020
#96,965
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 201
-7 bearers (-3.4%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Down 7,896 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #77,472 | 230 | 0.09 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #89,069 | 208 | 0.07 | -22 bearers (-9.6%) | Down 11,597 places |
| 2020 | #96,965 | 201 | 0.07 | -7 bearers (-3.4%) | Down 7,896 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 Degrenier 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 | #89,069 | #96,965 | -8.9% |
| Count | 208 | 201 | -3.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.07 | 0.07 | -3.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Degrenier bearers went from 208 to 201 (-3.4% change). The surname moved down 7,896 positions in the national ranking, going from #89,069 to #96,965.
FAQ
Degrenier surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Degrenier?
Name Census estimates that about 230 living Americans carry the surname Degrenier. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,490,236 residents.
How common is Degrenier?
Degrenier ranks #96,965 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.07 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 201 people with the surname Degrenier. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (230), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.07 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.07 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 Degrenier.
Has Degrenier become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Degrenier went from 208 recorded bearers to 201. That is a decrease of 7 (-3.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #89,069 to #96,965.
What does the Census say about the background of Degrenier?
Among Census respondents with the surname Degrenier, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%) and Two or More Races (1.5%). 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 Degrenier in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.0% (193 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Degrenier appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.0%), Hispanic (2.5%), Two or More Races (1.5%). 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 Degrenier (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 Degrenier mean?
A French surname derived from the word "grenier", meaning someone who lived near or worked at a granary. 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 Degrenier (0.07 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 have the last name Degrenier?
See how many people are called Degrenier on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.