2000
#5,596
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,689
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.11
Rare Last name
Ducharme
A French surname derived from the Old French "du charme," meaning "of the charm" or "from the charmed place."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,481 Americans carry the last name Ducharme. That puts it at #5,880 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.89 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 52,886 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ducharme 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
6.5K
1 in 52,886
Census rank
#5,880
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,652 bearers of the surname Ducharme in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.89 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5880th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ducharme, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ducharme
The surname Ducharme originated in France during the late medieval period. It is a French locational name derived from the Old French phrase "du charme," meaning "from the charme." The word "charme" referred to a hornbeam tree or a delightful place. The name likely referred to someone who lived near a hornbeam tree or a charming location.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Ducharme can be found in the historical records of the Normandy region of France, dating back to the 13th century. The name was particularly prevalent in the areas around Rouen and Caen.
In the 16th century, a notable figure with the surname Ducharme was Jacques Ducharme, a merchant and landowner from the village of Caudebec-lès-Elbeuf in Normandy. Records from the time mention him acquiring several parcels of land between 1550 and 1570.
As the French colonial empire expanded, the surname Ducharme also made its way to other parts of the world. In 1663, a man named Jean-Baptiste Ducharme was one of the first settlers to arrive in the colony of New France, now known as Quebec, Canada.
Another prominent individual with the surname was Pierre Ducharme, a French soldier and explorer born in 1688. He participated in several expeditions to the Mississippi River region and is credited with establishing the first permanent settlement in what is now Arkansas.
In the 19th century, a notable figure was Charles Ducharme, a French poet and author born in 1824 in Lyon. He published several collections of poetry and was known for his romantic style.
During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the surname Ducharme was also found in other parts of Europe, such as Belgium and Switzerland, likely due to migration from France. One example is Émile Ducharme, a Swiss architect born in 1871, who was renowned for his work on several notable buildings in Geneva.
While the surname Ducharme has its origins in France, it has since spread to various parts of the world, particularly through French colonial expansion and migration. The name continues to hold significance as a representation of its French linguistic and cultural heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ducharme
Among Census respondents with the surname Ducharme, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Ducharme 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 Ducharme surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.3% · 5,102
- Two or more races3.9% · 222
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 189
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 55
- Black or African American0.8% · 46
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 38
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ducharme
Ducharme 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
#5,939
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,797
+108 bearers (+1.9%)
Per 100,000 1.97
Rank movement Down 343 places
2020
#5,880
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,652
-145 bearers (-2.5%)
Per 100,000 1.89
Rank movement Up 59 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,596 | 5,689 | 2.11 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,939 | 5,797 | 1.97 | +108 bearers (+1.9%) | Down 343 places |
| 2020 | #5,880 | 5,652 | 1.89 | -145 bearers (-2.5%) | Up 59 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 Ducharme 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 | #5,939 | #5,880 | 1.0% |
| Count | 5,797 | 5,652 | -2.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.97 | 1.89 | -4.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ducharme bearers went from 5,797 to 5,652 (-2.5% change). The surname moved up 59 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,939 to #5,880.
FAQ
Ducharme surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ducharme?
Name Census estimates that about 6,481 living Americans carry the surname Ducharme. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 52,886 residents.
How common is Ducharme?
Ducharme ranks #5,880 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.89 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,652 people with the surname Ducharme. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,481), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.89 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.89 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Ducharme.
Has Ducharme become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ducharme went from 5,797 recorded bearers to 5,652. That is a decrease of 145 (-2.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #5,939 to #5,880.
What does the Census say about the background of Ducharme?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ducharme, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) 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 Ducharme in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.3% (5,102 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ducharme appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.3%), Two or More Races (3.9%), 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 Ducharme (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 Ducharme mean?
A French surname derived from the Old French "du charme," meaning "of the charm" or "from the charmed place." 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 Ducharme (1.89 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 Ducharme?
If you just want to know how many people have the last name Ducharme, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.