2000
#12,162
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,349
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.87
Rare Last name
Drouin
A French topographic surname for someone living near a spring or water source, derived from the Old French "rouir."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,627 Americans carry the last name Drouin. That puts it at #12,830 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.77 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 130,474 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Drouin 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
2.6K
1 in 130,474
Census rank
#12,830
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,291 bearers of the surname Drouin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.77 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12830th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Drouin, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Drouin
The surname Drouin originated in France, specifically in the northern region of Normandy. It is believed to have emerged in the 12th or 13th century. The name is derived from the Old French word "droin," meaning "straight" or "upright," possibly referring to a person's physical stature or character.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Drouin can be found in the Cartulaire de Fécamp, a medieval cartulary from the Abbey of Fécamp in Normandy, dating back to the 13th century. This document mentions individuals with the surname Drouin, indicating its presence in the region during that time.
In the 14th century, there are records of a Pierre Drouin who was a merchant in the city of Rouen, a major center of trade in Normandy. During the same period, a Jean Drouin was mentioned in the archives of the Duchy of Normandy as a landowner in the region.
The name Drouin was also found in other parts of France, such as the regions of Brittany and Île-de-France. In the 16th century, a notable figure named Jean Drouin was a Catholic priest and theologian from Paris, known for his writings on religious subjects.
In the 17th century, a French explorer and fur trader named Robert Drouin played a significant role in the early colonization of Canada. He was born in Normandy in 1605 and traveled to New France, where he established trading relationships with Indigenous communities and contributed to the expansion of French settlements in North America.
Another noteworthy individual with the surname Drouin was Jean-Claude Drouin, a French naval officer and explorer who lived from 1677 to 1734. He made important contributions to the exploration and mapping of the Caribbean region, as well as the coasts of South America.
Over the centuries, the name Drouin has been associated with various professions and achievements, including writers, artists, and scientists. One example is René Drouin, a French botanist and microbiologist born in 1876, who made significant contributions to the study of plant diseases and the development of phytopathology.
The surname Drouin has also had numerous spelling variations throughout history, such as Drouyn, Droin, and Drouhyn, reflecting the regional differences and evolution of the French language over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Drouin
Among Census respondents with the surname Drouin, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Drouin 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 Drouin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.9% · 2,105
- Two or more races3.4% · 79
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 72
- Black or African American1.0% · 22
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 11
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Drouin
Drouin 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
#12,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,419
+70 bearers (+3.0%)
Per 100,000 0.82
Rank movement Down 595 places
2020
#12,830
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,291
-128 bearers (-5.3%)
Per 100,000 0.77
Rank movement Down 73 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,162 | 2,349 | 0.87 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,757 | 2,419 | 0.82 | +70 bearers (+3.0%) | Down 595 places |
| 2020 | #12,830 | 2,291 | 0.77 | -128 bearers (-5.3%) | Down 73 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 Drouin 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 | #12,757 | #12,830 | -0.6% |
| Count | 2,419 | 2,291 | -5.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.82 | 0.77 | -6.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Drouin bearers went from 2,419 to 2,291 (-5.3% change). The surname moved down 73 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,757 to #12,830.
FAQ
Drouin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Drouin?
Name Census estimates that about 2,627 living Americans carry the surname Drouin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 130,474 residents.
How common is Drouin?
Drouin ranks #12,830 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.77 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 2,291 people with the surname Drouin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,627), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.77 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.77 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 Drouin.
Has Drouin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Drouin went from 2,419 recorded bearers to 2,291. That is a decrease of 128 (-5.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,757 to #12,830.
What does the Census say about the background of Drouin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Drouin, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.4%) 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 Drouin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.9% (2,105 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Drouin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.9%), Two or More Races (3.4%), 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 Drouin (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 Drouin mean?
A French topographic surname for someone living near a spring or water source, derived from the Old French "rouir." 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 Drouin (0.77 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 are called Drouin?
If you just want to know how many people are called Drouin, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.