2000
#96,918
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 174
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.06
Very Rare Last name
Esprit
French surname meaning "spirit" or "wit".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 303 Americans carry the last name Esprit. That puts it at #78,145 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.09 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,131,202 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Esprit 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 Esprit with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
303
1 in 1,131,202
Census rank
#78,145
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
264
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 264 bearers of the surname Esprit in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.09 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 78145th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Esprit, the largest self-reported group is Black at 75.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.0%) and Two or More Races (8.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Esprit
The surname ESPRIT originated from France, specifically in the region of Picardy. It dates back to the 12th century and is derived from the Old French word "esprit," meaning "spirit" or "mind." This name was likely given as a nickname to someone who was perceived as having a lively or spirited personality.
The earliest recorded instance of the name ESPRIT can be found in the medieval records of Picardy from around the year 1200. In these documents, the name appears in various spellings, including "Esprit," "Espriz," and "Esperit." It's believed that these variations were due to the phonetic transcription of the name during that time.
One of the earliest known bearers of the surname ESPRIT was Jean Esprit, a merchant from the town of Amiens who lived in the late 13th century. Records indicate that he was involved in the textile trade and played a significant role in the local economy.
In the 14th century, the name ESPRIT appeared in the Hundred Years' War records, where a soldier named Pierre Esprit was mentioned as serving in the French army under King Charles V. This suggests that the name was not only present in the mercantile class but also among the nobility and military.
During the Renaissance period, the ESPRIT surname gained prominence with the birth of the philosopher and mathematician René Descartes (1596-1650), whose full name was René Descartes du Perron Seigneur d'Esprit. While not directly bearing the surname ESPRIT, his association with the name added to its recognition and prestige.
Another notable figure was François Esprit (1686-1755), a French Jesuit priest and philosopher who wrote extensively on theology and metaphysics. His works, such as "Traité des Esprits" (Treatise on Spirits), were widely influential in the 18th century.
In the realm of literature, Antoine-François Esprit (1733-1805) was a French playwright and librettist who wrote several successful operas and plays during the Enlightenment era.
The ESPRIT surname also made its way to other parts of Europe, as evidenced by the Dutch painter Jacob van der Esprit (1621-1662), who was renowned for his still-life paintings and landscapes.
Throughout its history, the surname ESPRIT has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including merchants, soldiers, philosophers, writers, and artists, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and contributions of those who bore this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Esprit
Among Census respondents with the surname Esprit, the largest self-reported group is Black at 75.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.0%) and Two or More Races (8.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Esprit 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 Esprit surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American75.4% · 199
- Hispanic or Latino8.0% · 21
- Two or more races8.0% · 21
- White5.3% · 14
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.4% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Esprit
Esprit 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
#77,264
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 248
+74 bearers (+42.5%)
Per 100,000 0.08
Rank movement Up 19,654 places
2020
#78,145
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 264
+16 bearers (+6.5%)
Per 100,000 0.09
Rank movement Down 881 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #96,918 | 174 | 0.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #77,264 | 248 | 0.08 | +74 bearers (+42.5%) | Up 19,654 places |
| 2020 | #78,145 | 264 | 0.09 | +16 bearers (+6.5%) | Down 881 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 Esprit 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 | #77,264 | #78,145 | -1.1% |
| Count | 248 | 264 | 6.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.08 | 0.09 | 10.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Esprit bearers went from 248 to 264 (+6.5% change). The surname moved down 881 positions in the national ranking, going from #77,264 to #78,145.
FAQ
Esprit surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Esprit?
Name Census estimates that about 303 living Americans carry the surname Esprit. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,131,202 residents.
How common is Esprit?
Esprit ranks #78,145 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.09 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 264 people with the surname Esprit. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (303), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.09 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.09 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 Esprit.
Has Esprit become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Esprit went from 248 recorded bearers to 264. That is an increase of 16 (+6.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #77,264 to #78,145.
What does the Census say about the background of Esprit?
Among Census respondents with the surname Esprit, the largest self-reported group is Black at 75.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.0%) and Two or More Races (8.0%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Esprit in the 2020 Census, accounting for 75.4% (199 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Esprit appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (75.4%), Hispanic (8.0%), Two or More Races (8.0%). 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 Esprit (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 Esprit mean?
French surname meaning "spirit" or "wit". 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 Esprit (0.09 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 are called Esprit?
See how many people are called Esprit on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.