Find out how popular the last name Dufresne is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Dufresne.

Dufresne, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Dufresne surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Dufresne in America

Dufresne is the 7236th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Dufresne surname appeared 4,611 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Dufresne.

We can also compare 2010 data for Dufresne to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Dufresne

The surname Dufresne has its origins in France, tracing back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Old French words "du" meaning "of" and "fresne" meaning "ash tree." This suggests that the name may have originated as a locational surname, referring to someone who lived near an ash tree or in an ash-tree grove.

One of the earliest recorded references to the name Dufresne can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landowners in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The entry "Radulfus de Fraxino" appears in this historical document, which is believed to be an early variation of the surname Dufresne.

During the 13th century, the name Dufresne began to appear in various records throughout France. In 1245, a certain Guillaume Dufresne was mentioned in the court records of Chartres, a city located in the northern region of France. Around the same time, historical documents from the Normandy region also referenced individuals with the surname Dufresne.

Notable individuals with the surname Dufresne include Jacques Dufresne (1615-1688), a French painter and engraver from Paris who was renowned for his religious works. Jean Dufresne (1641-1724) was a French composer and organist who served at the court of Louis XIV. Marie-Jeanne Dufresne (1702-1775), also known as Madame Favart, was a celebrated French actress and playwright in the 18th century.

In the 19th century, Adolphe Dufresne (1828-1900) was a prominent French journalist and writer who founded the newspaper Le Petit Moniteur. Another notable figure was Charles Dufresne (1853-1936), a French botanist who made significant contributions to the study of plant classification and taxonomy.

The surname Dufresne has also been found in various spellings throughout history, including Dufrayne, Dufraine, and Dufraigne. These variations likely emerged due to regional dialects and the evolution of language over time. Additionally, the name has been associated with certain place names, such as Fresne in Normandy and Fresnay in the Loire Valley region of France.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Dufresne

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Dufresne.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Dufresne was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Dufresne has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Dufresne was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Dufresne, please contact us.

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