2000
#7,462
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,114
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.53
Rare Last name
Desjardins
Of French origin, referring to someone who tended gardens or orchards.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,929 Americans carry the last name Desjardins. That puts it at #7,475 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.44 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 69,538 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Desjardins 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
4.9K
1 in 69,538
Census rank
#7,475
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,298 bearers of the surname Desjardins in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.44 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7475th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Desjardins, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.5%. The next largest groups are Black (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Desjardins
The surname Desjardins originated in France and dates back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the French phrase "des jardins," which means "of the gardens" or "from the gardens." This suggests that the name may have been initially given to someone who lived near or worked in a garden or orchard.
The earliest known record of the Desjardins surname can be found in a document from the year 1292, which mentions a person named Renaud des Jardins residing in the region of Normandy, France. Over the centuries, variations of the spelling emerged, including Desjardins, Des Jardins, and Desjardains.
One notable historical figure with the Desjardins surname was Philippe Desjardins, a French philosopher and theologian born in 1598. He was a prominent figure during the 17th century and authored several works on metaphysics and theology.
Another individual of note was Louis Desjardins, a French explorer and cartographer who lived from 1672 to 1736. He played a significant role in mapping the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico region during the early years of French exploration in North America.
In the 19th century, Alphonse Desjardins (1854-1920) was a key figure in the cooperative movement in Canada. He founded the first credit union in North America, known as the Caisse Populaire de Levis, in 1900. His work laid the foundation for the modern credit union system.
The name Desjardins also has connections to place names in France. For instance, the village of Desjardins in the department of Eure-et-Loir was likely named after an individual or family with the surname, reflecting their presence or influence in the area.
Another notable figure was Jean-Baptiste Desjardins (1607-1689), a French missionary and explorer who traveled to New France (present-day Canada) in the 17th century. He worked among the indigenous populations, learning their languages and documenting their cultures.
While the Desjardins surname originated in France, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly to regions with French cultural influence or immigration, such as Canada and parts of the United States.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Desjardins
Among Census respondents with the surname Desjardins, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.5%. The next largest groups are Black (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Desjardins 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 Desjardins surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.5% · 3,804
- Black or African American3.7% · 159
- Two or more races3.5% · 149
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 137
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 36
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Desjardins
Desjardins 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
#7,662
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,335
+221 bearers (+5.4%)
Per 100,000 1.47
Rank movement Down 200 places
2020
#7,475
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,298
-37 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 1.44
Rank movement Up 187 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,462 | 4,114 | 1.53 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,662 | 4,335 | 1.47 | +221 bearers (+5.4%) | Down 200 places |
| 2020 | #7,475 | 4,298 | 1.44 | -37 bearers (-0.9%) | Up 187 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 Desjardins 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 | #7,662 | #7,475 | 2.4% |
| Count | 4,335 | 4,298 | -0.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.47 | 1.44 | -2.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Desjardins bearers went from 4,335 to 4,298 (-0.9% change). The surname moved up 187 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,662 to #7,475.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Desjardins
FAQ
Desjardins surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Desjardins?
Name Census estimates that about 4,929 living Americans carry the surname Desjardins. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 69,538 residents.
How common is Desjardins?
Desjardins ranks #7,475 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.44 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 4,298 people with the surname Desjardins. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,929), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.44 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.44 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 Desjardins.
Has Desjardins become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Desjardins went from 4,335 recorded bearers to 4,298. That is a decrease of 37 (-0.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #7,662 to #7,475.
What does the Census say about the background of Desjardins?
Among Census respondents with the surname Desjardins, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.5%. The next largest groups are Black (3.7%) and Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Desjardins in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.5% (3,804 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Desjardins appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.5%), Black (3.7%), Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Desjardins (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 Desjardins mean?
Of French origin, referring to someone who tended gardens or orchards. 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 Desjardins (1.44 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 Desjardins?
See how many people are called Desjardins on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.