2000
#10,969
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,662
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.99
Rare Last name
Duplessis
From a French topographic name referring to someone who lived near a small fortress or stronghold.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,554 Americans carry the last name Duplessis. That puts it at #9,946 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 96,442 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Duplessis 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Duplessis with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.6K
1 in 96,442
Census rank
#9,946
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,099 bearers of the surname Duplessis in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9946th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Duplessis, the largest self-reported group is White at 47.9%. The next largest groups are Black (34.7%) and Two or More Races (11.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Duplessis
The surname DUPLESSIS originated in France during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old French term "du plessis", which translates to "of the manor house or enclosure". This suggests that the name was initially given to someone who lived near or owned a manorial residence surrounded by a fence or hedge.
DUPLESSIS is a locational surname, meaning it was originally taken from the name of a specific place. The earliest recorded instance of the name appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a survey commissioned by William the Conqueror to record the landholdings in England after the Norman Conquest. This indicates that the name was likely brought to England from France during this period.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname DUPLESSIS was Robert du Plessis, a Norman nobleman who fought alongside William the Conqueror at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. He was granted lands in Essex, England, as a reward for his service.
In the 13th century, a branch of the DUPLESSIS family settled in the Brittany region of northwestern France. One notable member was Armand Jean du Plessis, Duke of Richelieu (1585-1642), who served as the Chief Minister to King Louis XIII of France. He played a significant role in strengthening the power of the monarchy and centralizing the French state.
Another prominent figure with the DUPLESSIS surname was Jean du Plessis-Richelieu (1696-1788), a French Catholic cardinal and diplomat who served as the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs under King Louis XV. He was instrumental in negotiating the Treaty of Paris in 1763, which ended the Seven Years' War between France and Britain.
In the 19th century, Edmond Rousseau du Plessis-Grénédan (1800-1865) was a French naval officer and explorer who participated in several expeditions to the Arctic regions. He also served as the Governor of French Guiana from 1855 to 1858.
One of the most notable individuals with the surname DUPLESSIS in modern times was Yvon Duplessi (1908-1976), a Canadian politician who served as the Premier of Quebec from 1936 to 1939 and again from 1944 to 1959. He was a strong proponent of Quebec nationalism and played a crucial role in shaping the province's political landscape.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Duplessis
Among Census respondents with the surname Duplessis, the largest self-reported group is White at 47.9%. The next largest groups are Black (34.7%) and Two or More Races (11.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Duplessis 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 Duplessis surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White47.9% · 1,485
- Black or African American34.7% · 1,074
- Two or more races11.6% · 360
- Hispanic or Latino4.4% · 137
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 23
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 20
Timeline
Historical Census data for Duplessis
Duplessis 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
#10,536
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,044
+382 bearers (+14.4%)
Per 100,000 1.03
Rank movement Up 433 places
2020
#9,946
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,099
+55 bearers (+1.8%)
Per 100,000 1.04
Rank movement Up 590 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,969 | 2,662 | 0.99 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,536 | 3,044 | 1.03 | +382 bearers (+14.4%) | Up 433 places |
| 2020 | #9,946 | 3,099 | 1.04 | +55 bearers (+1.8%) | Up 590 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 Duplessis 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 | #10,536 | #9,946 | 5.6% |
| Count | 3,044 | 3,099 | 1.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.03 | 1.04 | 0.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Duplessis bearers went from 3,044 to 3,099 (+1.8% change). The surname moved up 590 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,536 to #9,946.
FAQ
Duplessis surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Duplessis?
Name Census estimates that about 3,554 living Americans carry the surname Duplessis. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 96,442 residents.
How common is Duplessis?
Duplessis ranks #9,946 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.04 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 3,099 people with the surname Duplessis. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,554), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.04 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 Duplessis.
Has Duplessis become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Duplessis went from 3,044 recorded bearers to 3,099. That is an increase of 55 (+1.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #10,536 to #9,946.
What does the Census say about the background of Duplessis?
Among Census respondents with the surname Duplessis, the largest self-reported group is White at 47.9%. The next largest groups are Black (34.7%) and Two or More Races (11.6%). 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 Duplessis in the 2020 Census, accounting for 47.9% (1,485 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Duplessis appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (47.9%), Black (34.7%), Two or More Races (11.6%). 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 Duplessis (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 Duplessis mean?
From a French topographic name referring to someone who lived near a small fortress or stronghold. 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 Duplessis (1.04 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 share the surname Duplessis?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.