2000
#136,783
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Dufrenne
A surname from French meaning "from the oak tree".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 118 Americans carry the last name Dufrenne. That puts it at #154,182 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,904,698 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dufrenne 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
118
1 in 2,904,698
Census rank
#154,182
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
103
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 103 bearers of the surname Dufrenne in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154182nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dufrenne, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.4%. The next largest groups are Black (7.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dufrenne
The surname DUFRENNE is of French origin, with roots dating back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old French words "du" and "frene," which translate to "of the ash tree." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near an ash tree or in an area abundant with ash trees.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name DUFRENNE can be found in the Cartulaire de Saint-Père de Chartres, a collection of medieval charters and documents from the Chartres region of northern France, dating back to the 12th century. This indicates that the name was likely established and in use by that time period.
In the 13th century, a nobleman named Geoffroy DUFRENNE was mentioned in the records of the Abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés in Paris. This suggests that the name had gained some prominence and was associated with the aristocracy or landed gentry.
During the 16th century, a prominent figure bearing the name DUFRENNE was Jacques DUFRENNE, a French philosopher and theologian born in 1547 in Clermont-Ferrand. He is known for his work in defending the Catholic faith against the Protestant Reformation.
Another notable individual with the surname DUFRENNE was François DUFRENNE, a French painter and engraver who lived from 1648 to 1730. He was a member of the Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture and is celebrated for his religious artwork and portraits.
In the 19th century, a French actress named Suzanne DUFRENNE gained recognition for her performances on the Parisian stage. She was born in 1826 and is remembered for her roles in plays by renowned authors such as Victor Hugo and Alexandre Dumas.
It is worth noting that variations in spelling, such as DUFRESNE or DUFRAINE, may have existed in different regions or time periods, but the core origin and meaning of the name remain the same – a reference to the ash tree or a location associated with ash trees.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dufrenne
Among Census respondents with the surname Dufrenne, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.4%. The next largest groups are Black (7.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Dufrenne 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 Dufrenne surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.4% · 90
- Black or African American7.8% · 8
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.9% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino1.0% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 1
- Two or more races1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dufrenne
Dufrenne 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
#159,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
-12 bearers (-10.6%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 22,929 places
2020
#154,182
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
+2 bearers (+2.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 5,530 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #136,783 | 113 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #159,712 | 101 | 0.03 | -12 bearers (-10.6%) | Down 22,929 places |
| 2020 | #154,182 | 103 | 0.03 | +2 bearers (+2.0%) | Up 5,530 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 Dufrenne 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 | #159,712 | #154,182 | 3.5% |
| Count | 101 | 103 | 2.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.03 | 14.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dufrenne bearers went from 101 to 103 (+2.0% change). The surname moved up 5,530 positions in the national ranking, going from #159,712 to #154,182.
FAQ
Dufrenne surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dufrenne?
Name Census estimates that about 118 living Americans carry the surname Dufrenne. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,904,698 residents.
How common is Dufrenne?
Dufrenne ranks #154,182 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 103 people with the surname Dufrenne. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (118), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Dufrenne.
Has Dufrenne become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dufrenne went from 101 recorded bearers to 103. That is an increase of 2 (+2.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #159,712 to #154,182.
What does the Census say about the background of Dufrenne?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dufrenne, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.4%. The next largest groups are Black (7.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%). 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 Dufrenne in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.4% (90 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dufrenne appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.4%), Black (7.8%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.9%). 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 Dufrenne (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 Dufrenne mean?
A surname from French meaning "from the oak tree". 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 Dufrenne (0.03 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 Dufrenne?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Dufrenne, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.