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

Frenette, 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 Frenette surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Frenette in America

Frenette is the 21371st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Frenette surname appeared 1,225 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Frenette.

We can also compare 2010 data for Frenette 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 Frenette

The surname Frenette originated in France, likely emerging during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old French word "frene," meaning "ash tree." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near an ash grove or had some association with ash trees.

Frenette is a French Canadian surname, indicating that it likely arrived in Canada with early French settlers and colonists. The name appears to have been particularly prevalent in the provinces of Quebec and New Brunswick, where many French Canadians trace their ancestral roots.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Frenette surname can be found in the Jesuit Relations, a collection of missionary reports from the 17th century. These documents mention a man named Pierre Frenette, who lived in the Quebec region during the 1600s.

In the 18th century, a prominent figure named Louis Frenette (1720-1802) was a merchant and landowner in the Île d'Orléans region of Quebec. He played a significant role in the local economy and politics of the time.

Another notable bearer of the Frenette name was François-Xavier Frenette (1810-1891), a Canadian lawyer and politician from Quebec. He served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada and was actively involved in the political debates surrounding the Confederation of Canada.

In the realm of literature, Patrice Frenette (1855-1911) was a French Canadian poet and journalist from Quebec. He is remembered for his poetry collections, including "Les Fleurs Boréales" and "Les Oiseaux de Neige," which celebrated the beauty of the Canadian landscape and nature.

Moving into the 20th century, Yves Frenette (1944-2018) was a prominent historian and professor at the Université de Sherbrooke in Quebec. He specialized in the study of French Canadian migration and contributed significantly to understanding the history and experiences of French Canadians in North America.

While the Frenette surname has its roots in France and was brought to Canada by early French settlers, it has since become an integral part of the cultural and historical tapestry of French Canadian communities, particularly in Quebec and New Brunswick.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Frenette

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

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 Frenette 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 Frenette 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 Frenette was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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