2000
#18,645
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,362
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.50
Rare Last name
Duhamel
A French surname derived from a place name meaning "small hamlet" or "little village".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,431 Americans carry the last name Duhamel. That puts it at #21,354 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.42 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 239,521 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Duhamel 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
1.4K
1 in 239,521
Census rank
#21,354
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,248 bearers of the surname Duhamel in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.42 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 21354th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Duhamel, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Duhamel
The surname DUHAMEL originated in France during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old French words "du" meaning "of" and "hamel" meaning "small village or hamlet." This suggests that the name likely referred to someone who lived in or came from a small village.
The earliest recorded example of the name DUHAMEL dates back to the late 12th century in Normandy, France. In 1195, a person named Radulphus de Hamello was mentioned in a charter from the region. This Latin form of the name, "de Hamello," further reinforces the connection to the Old French word for a hamlet.
Throughout the Middle Ages, variations of the name DUHAMEL appeared in various records across northern France, particularly in Normandy and Picardy. Some examples include Gaufridus de Hamel (1236), Robertus du Hamel (1272), and Johannes du Hamiel (1301).
In the 14th century, the name DUHAMEL was recorded in the famous Domesday Book, a medieval census commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The entry mentions a landowner named Hamel holding estates in Kent, England.
One of the earliest notable figures with the surname DUHAMEL was Jean Baptiste DUHAMEL (1624-1706), a French philosopher and theologian who served as secretary to the French Academy of Sciences. Another prominent individual was Henri Louis DUHAMEL du Monceau (1700-1782), a French botanist and agronomist known for his influential works on agriculture and forestry.
In the literary world, Jean-Baptiste DUHAMEL (1730-1816) was a French dramatist and poet who wrote several successful comedies and tragedies during the 18th century. Later, Georges DUHAMEL (1884-1966) was a renowned French novelist and essayist, best known for his works exploring the human condition and the impact of World War I.
Another notable figure with the surname DUHAMEL was Léon DUHAMEL (1868-1924), a French engineer and industrialist who played a significant role in the development of the automobile industry in France. He co-founded the Société des Anciens Établissements Cail, which later became a major manufacturer of automobiles and aircraft engines.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Duhamel
Among Census respondents with the surname Duhamel, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Duhamel 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 Duhamel surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.2% · 1,138
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 42
- Two or more races2.9% · 36
- Black or African American1.6% · 20
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Duhamel
Duhamel 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
#19,896
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,350
-12 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.46
Rank movement Down 1,251 places
2020
#21,354
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,248
-102 bearers (-7.6%)
Per 100,000 0.42
Rank movement Down 1,458 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #18,645 | 1,362 | 0.50 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #19,896 | 1,350 | 0.46 | -12 bearers (-0.9%) | Down 1,251 places |
| 2020 | #21,354 | 1,248 | 0.42 | -102 bearers (-7.6%) | Down 1,458 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 Duhamel 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 | #19,896 | #21,354 | -7.3% |
| Count | 1,350 | 1,248 | -7.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.46 | 0.42 | -9.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Duhamel bearers went from 1,350 to 1,248 (-7.6% change). The surname moved down 1,458 positions in the national ranking, going from #19,896 to #21,354.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Duhamel
FAQ
Duhamel surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Duhamel?
Name Census estimates that about 1,431 living Americans carry the surname Duhamel. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 239,521 residents.
How common is Duhamel?
Duhamel ranks #21,354 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.42 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 1,248 people with the surname Duhamel. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,431), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.42 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.42 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 Duhamel.
Has Duhamel become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Duhamel went from 1,350 recorded bearers to 1,248. That is a decrease of 102 (-7.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #19,896 to #21,354.
What does the Census say about the background of Duhamel?
Among Census respondents with the surname Duhamel, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Duhamel in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.2% (1,138 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Duhamel appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.2%), Hispanic (3.4%), Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Duhamel (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 Duhamel mean?
A French surname derived from a place name meaning "small hamlet" or "little village". 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 Duhamel (0.42 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 Duhamel?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.