2000
#3,079
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,794
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.00
Uncommon Last name
Francois
A French surname referring to someone from France or of French descent.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 18,946 Americans carry the last name Francois. That puts it at #2,132 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.53 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 18,091 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Francois 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Francois with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
19K
1 in 18,091
Census rank
#2,132
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
17K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 16,522 bearers of the surname Francois in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.53 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2132nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Francois, the largest self-reported group is Black at 77.6%. The next largest groups are White (14.4%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Francois
The surname Francois originated in France during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the medieval French words "franc" meaning "free" and "ois" meaning "from." The name was likely given to someone who was granted freedom or came from an area known for its free people.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Francois appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, a manuscript recording landholders in England after the Norman conquest. Entries such as "Radulfus Francois" and "Willelmus Francois" are found in this historical document.
In the 12th century, the surname Francois began appearing in various regions of France, including Normandy, Brittany, and Anjou. Place names like Francoisville, Francoiscourt, and Francoislieu likely contributed to the spread and variations of the surname.
Notable individuals with the surname Francois include the 16th-century French explorer and navigator Jacques Francois (1534-1598), who led expeditions to the Americas. Another famous bearer of the name was the 17th-century French writer and philosopher René Francois (1623-1662), known for his work "Discours de la Méthode."
In the 18th century, the French novelist and playwright Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais (1732-1799), whose original surname was Francois, gained fame for his plays "The Barber of Seville" and "The Marriage of Figaro."
The 19th century saw the French painter Jean-Francois Millet (1814-1875), renowned for his depictions of peasant life, and the French composer César Francois (1822-1890), known for his operas and ballets.
Moving into the 20th century, the French philosopher and writer Jean-Paul Francois (1905-1980) made significant contributions to existentialism and phenomenology, while the Canadian ice hockey player Bernie Francois (1926-2003) played for the Boston Bruins and won the Stanley Cup in 1952.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Francois
Among Census respondents with the surname Francois, the largest self-reported group is Black at 77.6%. The next largest groups are White (14.4%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Francois 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 Francois surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American77.6% · 12,816
- White14.4% · 2,371
- Two or more races3.7% · 616
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 591
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 98
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 30
Timeline
Historical Census data for Francois
Francois 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
#2,467
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,593
+3,799 bearers (+35.2%)
Per 100,000 4.95
Rank movement Up 612 places
2020
#2,132
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,522
+1,929 bearers (+13.2%)
Per 100,000 5.53
Rank movement Up 335 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,079 | 10,794 | 4.00 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,467 | 14,593 | 4.95 | +3,799 bearers (+35.2%) | Up 612 places |
| 2020 | #2,132 | 16,522 | 5.53 | +1,929 bearers (+13.2%) | Up 335 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 Francois 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 | #2,467 | #2,132 | 13.6% |
| Count | 14,593 | 16,522 | 13.2% |
| Per 100K | 4.95 | 5.53 | 11.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Francois bearers went from 14,593 to 16,522 (+13.2% change). The surname moved up 335 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,467 to #2,132.
FAQ
Francois surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Francois?
Name Census estimates that about 18,946 living Americans carry the surname Francois. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 18,091 residents.
How common is Francois?
Francois ranks #2,132 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.53 per 100,000 residents, which is about 6 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 16,522 people with the surname Francois. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (18,946), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.53 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.53 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 6 of them to have the surname Francois.
Has Francois become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Francois went from 14,593 recorded bearers to 16,522. That is an increase of 1,929 (+13.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #2,467 to #2,132.
What does the Census say about the background of Francois?
Among Census respondents with the surname Francois, the largest self-reported group is Black at 77.6%. The next largest groups are White (14.4%) and Two or More Races (3.7%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Francois in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.6% (12,816 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Francois appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (77.6%), White (14.4%), Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Francois (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 Francois mean?
A French surname referring to someone from France or of French descent. 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 Francois (5.53 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 many people have the last name Francois?
You can see how many Americans have the surname Francois on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.