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

Ethier, 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 Ethier surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Ethier in America

Ethier is the 14761st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Ethier surname appeared 2,012 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Ethier.

We can also compare 2010 data for Ethier 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 Ethier

The surname Ethier originated in France and has its roots in the medieval French language. It is believed to have derived from the Old French word "ethier," which referred to a type of fish trap or weir used for catching fish in rivers. The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the Normandy region of northern France in the 12th century.

During the Middle Ages, the Ethier surname was predominantly found in the towns and villages along the banks of the Seine River, where fishing and river-based commerce were important economic activities. The name may have initially been an occupational surname, given to those who constructed or maintained fish traps and weirs along the waterways.

One of the earliest known references to the Ethier name appears in the Cartulaire de l'abbaye de Saint-Wandrille, a medieval manuscript dating back to the late 12th century. This document mentions a person named Gillebertus Ethier, who was likely involved in the fishing trade or lived near a fish trap.

In the 14th century, records show the name Ethier being used in the village of Caudebec-lès-Elbeuf, located along the Seine River. A notable figure from this time was Jean Ethier, a merchant and landowner who was born in 1328 and died in 1397.

As the centuries passed, the Ethier surname spread beyond Normandy, with some branches of the family migrating to other regions of France and eventually to other parts of Europe and the Americas. One such individual was Pierre Ethier, a French soldier who served in the colonial wars in North America during the late 17th century.

In the 19th century, a prominent figure bearing the Ethier surname was Jacques Ethier (1803-1876), a French-Canadian businessman and politician who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada.

Another notable person with the Ethier surname was Henri Ethier (1849-1918), a Canadian architect who designed several notable buildings in Montreal, including the former Bank of Montreal Head Office and the Saint-Henri Church.

While the Ethier surname has its origins in medieval France, it has since become a global name, with individuals bearing this surname found in various parts of the world, including Canada, the United States, and beyond.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Ethier

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

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 Ethier 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 Ethier 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 Ethier was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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