2000
#14,149
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,949
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.72
Rare Last name
Ethier
A French occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of cases or boxes.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,121 Americans carry the last name Ethier. That puts it at #15,281 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.62 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 161,600 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ethier 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
2.1K
1 in 161,600
Census rank
#15,281
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,850 bearers of the surname Ethier in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.62 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15281st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ethier, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ethier
Among Census respondents with the surname Ethier, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Ethier 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 Ethier surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.9% · 1,718
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 56
- Two or more races2.9% · 53
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 13
- Black or African American0.3% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ethier
Ethier 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
#14,761
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,012
+63 bearers (+3.2%)
Per 100,000 0.68
Rank movement Down 612 places
2020
#15,281
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,850
-162 bearers (-8.1%)
Per 100,000 0.62
Rank movement Down 520 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,149 | 1,949 | 0.72 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,761 | 2,012 | 0.68 | +63 bearers (+3.2%) | Down 612 places |
| 2020 | #15,281 | 1,850 | 0.62 | -162 bearers (-8.1%) | Down 520 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 Ethier 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 | #14,761 | #15,281 | -3.5% |
| Count | 2,012 | 1,850 | -8.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.68 | 0.62 | -9.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ethier bearers went from 2,012 to 1,850 (-8.1% change). The surname moved down 520 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,761 to #15,281.
FAQ
Ethier surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ethier?
Name Census estimates that about 2,121 living Americans carry the surname Ethier. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 161,600 residents.
How common is Ethier?
Ethier ranks #15,281 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.62 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 1,850 people with the surname Ethier. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,121), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.62 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.62 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 Ethier.
Has Ethier become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ethier went from 2,012 recorded bearers to 1,850. That is a decrease of 162 (-8.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,761 to #15,281.
What does the Census say about the background of Ethier?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ethier, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.0%) 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 Ethier in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.9% (1,718 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ethier appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.9%), Hispanic (3.0%), 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 Ethier (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 Ethier mean?
A French occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of cases or boxes. 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 Ethier (0.62 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 last name Ethier?
Find out how many people are called Ethier on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.