2000
#116,123
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 139
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Forcade
A Spanish surname derived from the Latin word "furca" meaning "fork," likely referring to an occupational name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 138 Americans carry the last name Forcade. That puts it at #142,049 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,483,727 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Forcade 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
138
1 in 2,483,727
Census rank
#142,049
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
120
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 120 bearers of the surname Forcade in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142049th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Forcade, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (30.8%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Forcade
The surname FORCADE originates from the Occitan region of southern France, specifically the area around Toulouse and the Pyrenees mountains. It likely emerged in the 12th or 13th century, derived from the Occitan word "forcar" meaning "to fork" or "to branch off". This suggests the name may have originally referred to someone who lived near a forked road or stream.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in a 1328 census record from the village of Montgiscard, near Toulouse, listing a "Peyre Forcade" as a local landowner. The spelling has varied over time, with forms like "Forcat", "Fourcade", and "Fourcade" appearing in different medieval records from the region.
In the 15th century, the name is found in several property records from the town of Lafitte-sur-Lot, suggesting a FORCADE family of some prominence lived there. One Arnaud Forcade is listed as a vineyard owner in 1462.
Moving into the 16th century, a Jacques Forcade (1510-1584) is recorded as a notary and legal clerk in the city of Toulouse during the French Wars of Religion. His son, Pierre Forcade (1538-1612), became a respected lawyer and judge in the Parlement of Toulouse.
The 17th century saw the birth of Jean Forcade (1628-1712), a Franciscan friar from Bordeaux who did missionary work in Canada and wrote accounts of his travels among indigenous peoples. His writings provide some of the earliest European descriptions of the Great Lakes region.
In more recent centuries, notable bearers of the FORCADE name include the 19th century French astronomer Benjamin Forcade (1823-1899) who discovered several comets and asteroids, and the early 20th century painter Auguste Forcade (1875-1942) associated with the Fauvist art movement.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Forcade
Among Census respondents with the surname Forcade, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (30.8%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Forcade 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 Forcade surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White63.3% · 76
- Hispanic or Latino30.8% · 37
- Two or more races3.3% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.5% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Forcade
Forcade 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
#126,765
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 135
-4 bearers (-2.9%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 10,642 places
2020
#142,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
-15 bearers (-11.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 15,284 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #116,123 | 139 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #126,765 | 135 | 0.05 | -4 bearers (-2.9%) | Down 10,642 places |
| 2020 | #142,049 | 120 | 0.04 | -15 bearers (-11.1%) | Down 15,284 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 Forcade 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 | #126,765 | #142,049 | -12.1% |
| Count | 135 | 120 | -11.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -19.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Forcade bearers went from 135 to 120 (-11.1% change). The surname moved down 15,284 positions in the national ranking, going from #126,765 to #142,049.
FAQ
Forcade surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Forcade?
Name Census estimates that about 138 living Americans carry the surname Forcade. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,483,727 residents.
How common is Forcade?
Forcade ranks #142,049 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 120 people with the surname Forcade. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (138), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Forcade.
Has Forcade become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Forcade went from 135 recorded bearers to 120. That is a decrease of 15 (-11.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #126,765 to #142,049.
What does the Census say about the background of Forcade?
Among Census respondents with the surname Forcade, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (30.8%) and Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Forcade in the 2020 Census, accounting for 63.3% (76 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Forcade appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (63.3%), Hispanic (30.8%), Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Forcade (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 Forcade mean?
A Spanish surname derived from the Latin word "furca" meaning "fork," likely referring to an occupational name. 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 Forcade (0.04 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 have the surname Forcade?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.