2000
#473
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 63,149
First available Census row
Per 100,000 23.41
Uncommon Last name
French
An English surname referring to someone from France or who speaks French.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 70,328 Americans carry the last name French. That puts it at #539 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 20.52 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 4,874 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the French 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 French with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
70K
1 in 4,874
Census rank
#539
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
20.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
61K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 61,329 bearers of the surname French in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 20.52 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 539th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname French, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.6%. The next largest groups are Black (8.0%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for French
Among Census respondents with the surname French, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.6%. The next largest groups are Black (8.0%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how French 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 French surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.6% · 50,682
- Black or African American8.0% · 4,904
- Two or more races4.2% · 2,576
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 2,077
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 579
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 511
Timeline
Historical Census data for French
French 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
#525
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 63,991
+842 bearers (+1.3%)
Per 100,000 21.69
Rank movement Down 52 places
2020
#539
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 61,329
-2,662 bearers (-4.2%)
Per 100,000 20.52
Rank movement Down 14 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #473 | 63,149 | 23.41 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #525 | 63,991 | 21.69 | +842 bearers (+1.3%) | Down 52 places |
| 2020 | #539 | 61,329 | 20.52 | -2,662 bearers (-4.2%) | Down 14 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 French 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 | #525 | #539 | -2.7% |
| Count | 63,991 | 61,329 | -4.2% |
| Per 100K | 21.69 | 20.52 | -5.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of French bearers went from 63,991 to 61,329 (-4.2% change). The surname moved down 14 positions in the national ranking, going from #525 to #539.
FAQ
French surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname French?
Name Census estimates that about 70,328 living Americans carry the surname French. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 4,874 residents.
How common is French?
French ranks #539 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 20.52 per 100,000 residents, which is about 21 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 61,329 people with the surname French. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (70,328), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 20.52 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 20.52 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 21 of them to have the surname French.
Has French become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname French went from 63,991 recorded bearers to 61,329. That is a decrease of 2,662 (-4.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #525 to #539.
What does the Census say about the background of French?
Among Census respondents with the surname French, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.6%. The next largest groups are Black (8.0%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 French in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.6% (50,682 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
French appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.6%), Black (8.0%), Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 French (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 French mean?
An English surname referring to someone from France or who speaks French. 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 French (20.52 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 share the surname French?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.