2000
#6,994
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,419
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.64
Rare Last name
Dufresne
French toponymic surname derived from several places called Fresne, referring to an ash tree grove.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,202 Americans carry the last name Dufresne. That puts it at #7,107 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.52 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 65,889 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dufresne 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
5.2K
1 in 65,889
Census rank
#7,107
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,536 bearers of the surname Dufresne in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.52 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7107th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dufresne, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.9%. The next largest groups are Black (6.0%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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 The entry "Radulfus de Fraxino" appears in this historical document, which is believed to be an early variation of the surname Dufresne.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 Around the same time, historical documents from the Normandy region also referenced individuals with the surname Dufresne.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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dufresne
Among Census respondents with the surname Dufresne, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.9%. The next largest groups are Black (6.0%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Dufresne 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 Dufresne surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.9% · 3,895
- Black or African American6.0% · 273
- Two or more races3.7% · 166
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 153
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 26
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 23
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dufresne
Dufresne 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
#7,236
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,611
+192 bearers (+4.3%)
Per 100,000 1.56
Rank movement Down 242 places
2020
#7,107
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,536
-75 bearers (-1.6%)
Per 100,000 1.52
Rank movement Up 129 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,994 | 4,419 | 1.64 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,236 | 4,611 | 1.56 | +192 bearers (+4.3%) | Down 242 places |
| 2020 | #7,107 | 4,536 | 1.52 | -75 bearers (-1.6%) | Up 129 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 Dufresne 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 | #7,236 | #7,107 | 1.8% |
| Count | 4,611 | 4,536 | -1.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.56 | 1.52 | -2.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dufresne bearers went from 4,611 to 4,536 (-1.6% change). The surname moved up 129 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,236 to #7,107.
FAQ
Dufresne surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dufresne?
Name Census estimates that about 5,202 living Americans carry the surname Dufresne. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 65,889 residents.
How common is Dufresne?
Dufresne ranks #7,107 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.52 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 4,536 people with the surname Dufresne. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,202), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.52 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.52 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 Dufresne.
Has Dufresne become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dufresne went from 4,611 recorded bearers to 4,536. That is a decrease of 75 (-1.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #7,236 to #7,107.
What does the Census say about the background of Dufresne?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dufresne, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.9%. The next largest groups are Black (6.0%) and Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Dufresne in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.9% (3,895 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dufresne appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.9%), Black (6.0%), Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Dufresne (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 Dufresne mean?
French toponymic surname derived from several places called Fresne, referring to an ash tree grove. 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 Dufresne (1.52 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 surname Dufresne?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.