2000
#14,724
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,850
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.69
Rare Last name
Dufault
A French surname referring to someone who originated from Le Fault, France.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,013 Americans carry the last name Dufault. That puts it at #15,969 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.59 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 170,270 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dufault 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
2.0K
1 in 170,270
Census rank
#15,969
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,755 bearers of the surname Dufault in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.59 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15969th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dufault, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dufault
The surname Dufault is of French origin, originating in the northern regions of France around the 13th century. It is derived from the Old French word "default," meaning "fault" or "deficiency." The name may have been initially given as a nickname to someone who was perceived as having a particular flaw or shortcoming.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Dufault can be found in the Parisian tax rolls of 1292, where a certain Robert Dufault is mentioned. In the 14th century, the name appears in various records from the regions of Normandy and Picardy, indicating its spread across northern France.
During the 16th century, the Dufault surname gained prominence with the birth of Jean Dufault (1515-1578), a renowned French poet and playwright from Normandy. His works, which included numerous sonnets and plays, were widely celebrated during the Renaissance era.
In the 17th century, the Dufault name made its way to New France (modern-day Quebec, Canada) with the arrival of several French settlers. One notable figure was Pierre Dufault (1643-1716), a farmer and landowner who established himself in the seigneury of Rivière-du-Loup.
The 18th century saw the emergence of another prominent individual bearing the Dufault surname, Jacques Dufault (1701-1782), a successful merchant and trader based in Montreal. His business ventures extended throughout the Great Lakes region, and he played a significant role in the fur trade.
As the Dufault family continued to grow and spread across various regions, notable individuals emerged, such as Marie-Louise Dufault (1826-1897), a renowned educator and founder of several schools for girls in Quebec. Her contributions to the education system were widely recognized and celebrated.
Another notable figure was Jules Dufault (1870-1945), a French-Canadian politician who served as a member of the Canadian House of Commons, representing the riding of Shefford from 1917 to 1925.
Throughout its history, the Dufault surname has been associated with various places and localities, including the commune of Dufault in the Pas-de-Calais region of northern France, as well as the village of Dufault in the Mauricie region of Quebec, Canada.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dufault
Among Census respondents with the surname Dufault, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Dufault 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 Dufault surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.9% · 1,577
- Two or more races4.6% · 81
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 43
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.4% · 25
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.4% · 24
- Black or African American0.3% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dufault
Dufault 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
#15,806
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,842
-8 bearers (-0.4%)
Per 100,000 0.62
Rank movement Down 1,082 places
2020
#15,969
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,755
-87 bearers (-4.7%)
Per 100,000 0.59
Rank movement Down 163 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,724 | 1,850 | 0.69 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,806 | 1,842 | 0.62 | -8 bearers (-0.4%) | Down 1,082 places |
| 2020 | #15,969 | 1,755 | 0.59 | -87 bearers (-4.7%) | Down 163 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 Dufault 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 | #15,806 | #15,969 | -1.0% |
| Count | 1,842 | 1,755 | -4.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.62 | 0.59 | -5.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dufault bearers went from 1,842 to 1,755 (-4.7% change). The surname moved down 163 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,806 to #15,969.
FAQ
Dufault surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dufault?
Name Census estimates that about 2,013 living Americans carry the surname Dufault. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 170,270 residents.
How common is Dufault?
Dufault ranks #15,969 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.59 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 1,755 people with the surname Dufault. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,013), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.59 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.59 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 Dufault.
Has Dufault become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dufault went from 1,842 recorded bearers to 1,755. That is a decrease of 87 (-4.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #15,806 to #15,969.
What does the Census say about the background of Dufault?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dufault, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Hispanic (2.5%). 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 Dufault in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.9% (1,577 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dufault appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.9%), Two or More Races (4.6%), Hispanic (2.5%). 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 Dufault (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 Dufault mean?
A French surname referring to someone who originated from Le Fault, France. 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 Dufault (0.59 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 Dufault?
Want to know how many people have the last name Dufault? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.