2000
#1,715
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 19,203
First available Census row
Per 100,000 7.12
Uncommon Last name
Fontenot
A French toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "fountain" or "spring."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 22,388 Americans carry the last name Fontenot. That puts it at #1,798 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 6.53 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 15,310 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Fontenot 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
22K
1 in 15,310
Census rank
#1,798
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
6.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
20K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 19,523 bearers of the surname Fontenot in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 6.53 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1798th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Fontenot, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.7%. The next largest groups are Black (18.8%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Fontenot
The surname Fontenot originated in France during the early 16th century. It derives from the French term "fontaine" meaning "spring" or "fountain," and the diminutive suffix "-ot" which was commonly used in French surnames. The name likely referred to someone who lived near a small spring or fountain.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Fontenot surname can be found in the village of La Fontenotte in the Burgundy region of France. This village was mentioned in historical records dating back to the early 1500s, and it is believed that the Fontenot family name originated from this location.
As the Fontenot family spread throughout France, variations in spelling began to appear, such as Fonteneau, Fontenault, and Fonteneau. These variations were often influenced by regional dialects and local pronunciation.
During the 17th century, a significant number of French settlers, including those with the Fontenot surname, immigrated to the territory of Acadia in what is now eastern Canada. One notable Fontenot from this period was Jacques Fontenot, who was born in France in 1638 and later settled in Acadia.
In the late 18th century, many Acadian families, including the Fontenots, were forcibly expelled from their homes by the British authorities during the Great Upheaval, also known as the Expulsion of the Acadians. Many Fontenot families eventually found refuge in Louisiana, where the name became well-established.
Throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, several notable individuals with the Fontenot surname emerged. These include:
1. Edmond Fontenot (1870-1948), a prominent Cajun musician and songwriter from Louisiana.
2. Alphonse Fontenot (1881-1958), a Louisiana politician who served as a state representative.
3. Amédée Fontenot (1892-1972), a Cajun fiddler and composer from Louisiana.
4. Paul Fontenot (1923-2007), a World War II veteran and recipient of the Distinguished Service Cross.
5. Zachary Fontenot (born 1981), an American football coach and former player.
The Fontenot surname has remained prevalent in Louisiana and other parts of the southern United States, where it is closely associated with the Cajun and Creole cultures.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Fontenot
Among Census respondents with the surname Fontenot, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.7%. The next largest groups are Black (18.8%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Fontenot 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 Fontenot surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White73.7% · 14,382
- Black or African American18.8% · 3,677
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 663
- Two or more races3.3% · 651
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 88
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 62
Timeline
Historical Census data for Fontenot
Fontenot 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
#1,792
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 20,035
+832 bearers (+4.3%)
Per 100,000 6.79
Rank movement Down 77 places
2020
#1,798
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 19,523
-512 bearers (-2.6%)
Per 100,000 6.53
Rank movement Down 6 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,715 | 19,203 | 7.12 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,792 | 20,035 | 6.79 | +832 bearers (+4.3%) | Down 77 places |
| 2020 | #1,798 | 19,523 | 6.53 | -512 bearers (-2.6%) | Down 6 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 Fontenot 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 | #1,792 | #1,798 | -0.3% |
| Count | 20,035 | 19,523 | -2.6% |
| Per 100K | 6.79 | 6.53 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Fontenot bearers went from 20,035 to 19,523 (-2.6% change). The surname moved down 6 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,792 to #1,798.
FAQ
Fontenot surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Fontenot?
Name Census estimates that about 22,388 living Americans carry the surname Fontenot. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 15,310 residents.
How common is Fontenot?
Fontenot ranks #1,798 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 6.53 per 100,000 residents, which is about 7 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 19,523 people with the surname Fontenot. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (22,388), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 6.53 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 6.53 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 7 of them to have the surname Fontenot.
Has Fontenot become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Fontenot went from 20,035 recorded bearers to 19,523. That is a decrease of 512 (-2.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,792 to #1,798.
What does the Census say about the background of Fontenot?
Among Census respondents with the surname Fontenot, the largest self-reported group is White at 73.7%. The next largest groups are Black (18.8%) and Hispanic (3.4%). 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 Fontenot in the 2020 Census, accounting for 73.7% (14,382 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Fontenot appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (73.7%), Black (18.8%), Hispanic (3.4%). 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 Fontenot (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 Fontenot mean?
A French toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "fountain" or "spring." 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 Fontenot (6.53 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 common is the surname Fontenot?
You can see how many people have the last name Fontenot on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.