Find out how popular the last name French is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named French.

French, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the French surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of French in America

French is the 525th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The French surname appeared 63,991 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 22 people would have the surname French.

We can also compare 2010 data for French to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name French

The surname FRENCH is derived from the Old French word 'franceis', meaning 'from France'. It originated as a descriptive surname for someone who hailed from France or had French ancestry. The name was initially used to differentiate French immigrants or settlers from the local population in England and other parts of the British Isles.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname can be traced back to the 12th century in England, shortly after the Norman Conquest of 1066. One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name was John le French, mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Leicestershire in 1195. Another early reference is found in the Curia Regis Rolls of Berkshire from 1214, where a Nicholas le French is documented.

During the 13th and 14th centuries, the surname appeared in various forms, reflecting regional spelling variations and dialectal differences. Some of these early spellings included Frenche, Frensh, Frenshe, and Franceis. The surname was also sometimes combined with place names, such as French of Bury or French of Kent, indicating the bearer's place of origin or residence.

One notable historical figure with the surname FRENCH was Sir John French (c. 1350-1420), a prominent English soldier and ambassador during the Hundred Years' War. He served under King Henry IV and was appointed as a diplomat to negotiate treaties with France and Burgundy.

In the 16th century, the surname gained prominence in Ireland, particularly in the counties of Galway and Mayo. One of the earliest recorded bearers in Ireland was John French (c. 1520-1589), a wealthy landowner and merchant from Galway. His descendants went on to establish themselves as a prominent Irish family.

Another well-known individual with the surname FRENCH was Nicholas French (1604-1678), an English churchman and academic who served as the Master of Jesus College, Cambridge, from 1642 to 1658.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, several notable figures shared the surname FRENCH, including Daniel French (1619-1687), an English nonconformist minister and writer, and John French (1616-1657), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament during the English Civil War.

In the 19th century, John Denton Pinkstone French (1786-1846) was a prominent British military officer and colonial administrator who served as the Governor of the British West Indies and later as the Governor of New South Wales in Australia.

While the surname FRENCH has its origins in France and was initially associated with French immigrants or those of French descent, over time it became established as a distinct surname in various parts of the British Isles and beyond, carried by families who traced their lineage back to the earliest bearers of the name.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name French

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname French.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for French was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of French has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name French was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of French, please contact us.

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