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

Garneau, 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 Garneau surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Garneau in America

Garneau is the 19896th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Garneau surname appeared 1,350 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 Garneau.

We can also compare 2010 data for Garneau 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 Garneau

The surname "GARNEAU" originated in France during the Middle Ages. It is believed to have derived from the Old French word "garnier," which means "keeper of the granary." The name was likely given to individuals who were responsible for storing and managing grain supplies in their local communities.

Historically, the name can be traced back to the Normandy region of France, where it first appeared in records from the 11th and 12th centuries. Some of the earliest documented instances of the name include Robert Garnier, a Norman knight who fought in the First Crusade (1096-1099), and Guillaume Garnier, a nobleman mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086, a survey of land ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror.

By the 13th century, the name had spread to other parts of France, including the Picardy and Île-de-France regions. Notable individuals with the surname during this period include Jean Garneau, a merchant from Paris who travelled to England in 1278, and Étienne Garneau, a soldier who fought in the Hundred Years' War (1337-1453).

As the centuries passed, the name evolved to include various spellings, such as Garnault, Garnault, and Garneault. Some of these variations were influenced by local dialects and pronunciations, while others were adopted by different branches of the family as they established themselves in new regions.

One of the most famous bearers of the Garneau surname was François-Xavier Garneau (1809-1866), a French Canadian historian and writer who is considered the founder of Canadian historiography. His seminal work, "Histoire du Canada depuis sa découverte jusqu'à nos jours," published in 1845, is regarded as a landmark in Canadian literature and an essential resource for understanding the country's cultural and political heritage.

Other notable individuals include Jacques Garneau (1643-1711), a French-Canadian colonist and one of the first settlers in the Beauce region of Quebec, and Marie-Louise Garneau (1784-1870), a French-Canadian midwife and herbalist who practiced in the Quebec City area and was renowned for her expertise in traditional medicine.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Garneau

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

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

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

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