2000
#18,588
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,368
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.51
Rare Last name
Francoeur
A French surname derived from the words "franc" meaning "free" and "coeur" meaning "heart", suggesting qualities of sincerity or generosity.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,719 Americans carry the last name Francoeur. That puts it at #18,285 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.50 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 199,392 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Francoeur 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
1.7K
1 in 199,392
Census rank
#18,285
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,499 bearers of the surname Francoeur in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.50 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 18285th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Francoeur, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.1%. The next largest groups are Black (10.7%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Francoeur
The surname Francoeur has its roots in France, originating in the late medieval period. It is derived from the Old French phrase "franc coeur," which translates to "sincere heart" or "free spirit." This name likely originated as a descriptive nickname for someone who possessed a kind and generous nature.
The earliest known records of the Francoeur name can be traced back to the 13th century in the region of Normandy, France. It is believed that the name may have originated in the town of Franqueville, which was later incorporated into the larger city of Le Havre.
In the 14th century, a notable figure named Jean Francoeur was mentioned in the records of the Duchy of Normandy. He was a respected landowner and a member of the local nobility.
The Francoeur name continued to spread throughout France in the following centuries. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in a written work was in the 16th century play "Les Précieuses ridicules" by Molière, where a character with the surname Francoeur was mentioned.
During the 17th century, a prominent Francoeur family resided in the city of Paris. Louis Francoeur (1692-1768) was a renowned composer and violinist who served as the music director for the French court under King Louis XV.
In the 18th century, the Francoeur name also appeared in the French colony of Quebec, Canada. Jacques Francoeur (1738-1811) was a notable merchant and landowner in the city of Montreal.
Other notable individuals with the Francoeur surname include:
1. François Francoeur (1698-1787), a French astronomer and mathematician who made significant contributions to the study of celestial mechanics.
2. Louis-Benjamin Francoeur (1773-1849), a French mathematician and author who wrote several influential textbooks on mathematics and physics.
3. Marie Francoeur (1858-1931), a French-Canadian novelist and poet who was a prominent figure in the literary movement known as the Montreal Literary School.
4. Robert Francoeur (1915-1995), a Canadian politician who served as a member of the House of Commons of Canada representing the riding of Québec-Montmorency.
5. Lucien Francoeur (1920-2005), a Canadian ice hockey player who played for the Montreal Canadiens and won the Stanley Cup in 1946.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Francoeur
Among Census respondents with the surname Francoeur, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.1%. The next largest groups are Black (10.7%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Francoeur 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 Francoeur surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.1% · 1,246
- Black or African American10.7% · 161
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 46
- Two or more races2.5% · 37
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 6
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Francoeur
Francoeur 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
#18,899
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,445
+77 bearers (+5.6%)
Per 100,000 0.49
Rank movement Down 311 places
2020
#18,285
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,499
+54 bearers (+3.7%)
Per 100,000 0.50
Rank movement Up 614 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #18,588 | 1,368 | 0.51 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #18,899 | 1,445 | 0.49 | +77 bearers (+5.6%) | Down 311 places |
| 2020 | #18,285 | 1,499 | 0.50 | +54 bearers (+3.7%) | Up 614 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 Francoeur 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 | #18,899 | #18,285 | 3.2% |
| Count | 1,445 | 1,499 | 3.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.49 | 0.50 | 2.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Francoeur bearers went from 1,445 to 1,499 (+3.7% change). The surname moved up 614 positions in the national ranking, going from #18,899 to #18,285.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Francoeur
FAQ
Francoeur surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Francoeur?
Name Census estimates that about 1,719 living Americans carry the surname Francoeur. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 199,392 residents.
How common is Francoeur?
Francoeur ranks #18,285 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.50 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 1,499 people with the surname Francoeur. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,719), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.5 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.50 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 Francoeur.
Has Francoeur become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Francoeur went from 1,445 recorded bearers to 1,499. That is an increase of 54 (+3.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #18,899 to #18,285.
What does the Census say about the background of Francoeur?
Among Census respondents with the surname Francoeur, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.1%. The next largest groups are Black (10.7%) and Hispanic (3.1%). 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 Francoeur in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.1% (1,246 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Francoeur appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.1%), Black (10.7%), Hispanic (3.1%). 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 Francoeur (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 Francoeur mean?
A French surname derived from the words "franc" meaning "free" and "coeur" meaning "heart", suggesting qualities of sincerity or generosity. 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 Francoeur (0.50 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 Francoeur?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Francoeur on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.