2000
#122,534
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 130
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Desourdy
A French surname derived from location or occupation relating to sources or springs.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 138 Americans carry the last name Desourdy. That puts it at #142,049 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,483,727 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Desourdy 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
138
1 in 2,483,727
Census rank
#142,049
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
120
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 120 bearers of the surname Desourdy in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142049th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Desourdy, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.8%) and Hispanic (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Desourdy
The surname Desourdy has its roots in France, originating in the late 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old French words "de" meaning "from" and "sourdy," referring to a person who was deaf or hard of hearing. The name likely originated in the northern regions of France, where variations such as Desourdy, Desourdie, and Desourdit were common.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the parish records of Saint-André-des-Arts in Paris, where a certain Pierre Desourdy was listed in 1598. The name also appears in various legal documents and contracts from the 17th and 18th centuries, primarily in the regions of Normandy and Picardy.
Notably, the name Desourdy is mentioned in the famous "Mémoires de Saint-Simon," a historical chronicle written by Louis de Rouvroy, Duke of Saint-Simon, in the early 18th century. In the memoirs, he refers to a certain Monsieur Desourdy, who held a position at the court of King Louis XIV.
Among the notable individuals with the surname Desourdy, one can mention Jacques Desourdy (1620-1692), a renowned merchant and landowner from Rouen, whose family played a significant role in the local economy and politics. Another noteworthy figure is Marie-Thérèse Desourdy (1732-1804), a celebrated author and poet from Paris, whose works were widely acclaimed during the Age of Enlightenment.
In the 19th century, the name Desourdy gained prominence through the achievements of Louis-Auguste Desourdy (1810-1878), a renowned architect who contributed to the design and construction of several iconic buildings in Paris, including the Palais Garnier (Paris Opera House).
Another individual of note is Henri Desourdy (1865-1934), a French explorer and naturalist who led several expeditions to the Amazon rainforest, documenting and cataloging numerous plant and animal species previously unknown to science.
It is worth mentioning that the surname Desourdy has also been associated with certain place names in France, such as the hamlet of Desourdy in the commune of Hébécrevon, located in the department of Manche in Normandy. This connection suggests that some branches of the family may have taken their name from a specific location or landholding.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Desourdy
Among Census respondents with the surname Desourdy, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.8%) and Hispanic (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Desourdy 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 Desourdy surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.3% · 106
- Two or more races5.8% · 7
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.5% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Desourdy
Desourdy 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
#145,220
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
-16 bearers (-12.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 22,686 places
2020
#142,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
+6 bearers (+5.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 3,171 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #122,534 | 130 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #145,220 | 114 | 0.04 | -16 bearers (-12.3%) | Down 22,686 places |
| 2020 | #142,049 | 120 | 0.04 | +6 bearers (+5.3%) | Up 3,171 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 Desourdy 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 | #145,220 | #142,049 | 2.2% |
| Count | 114 | 120 | 5.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 0.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Desourdy bearers went from 114 to 120 (+5.3% change). The surname moved up 3,171 positions in the national ranking, going from #145,220 to #142,049.
FAQ
Desourdy surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Desourdy?
Name Census estimates that about 138 living Americans carry the surname Desourdy. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,483,727 residents.
How common is Desourdy?
Desourdy ranks #142,049 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 120 people with the surname Desourdy. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (138), 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 Desourdy.
Has Desourdy become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Desourdy went from 114 recorded bearers to 120. That is an increase of 6 (+5.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #145,220 to #142,049.
What does the Census say about the background of Desourdy?
Among Census respondents with the surname Desourdy, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.8%) and Hispanic (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 Desourdy in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.3% (106 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Desourdy appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.3%), Two or More Races (5.8%), Hispanic (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 Desourdy (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 Desourdy mean?
A French surname derived from location or occupation relating to sources or springs. 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 Desourdy (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 many people have the last name Desourdy?
See how common the surname Desourdy is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.