2000
#14,399
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,905
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.71
Rare Last name
Gaudreau
A French topographic surname for someone living near a ford or shallow stream crossing.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,103 Americans carry the last name Gaudreau. That puts it at #15,395 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.61 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 162,984 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gaudreau 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.
Bearers in the US
2.1K
1 in 162,984
Census rank
#15,395
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,834 bearers of the surname Gaudreau in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.61 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15395th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gaudreau, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gaudreau
The surname GAUDREAU originated in France and can be traced back to the 16th century. It is derived from the Old French word "gaudre," which means "to rejoice" or "to have a good time." The name was likely given to someone who was known for their jovial or festive nature.
The earliest known record of the GAUDREAU surname dates back to 1587 in the town of Poitiers, located in the Poitou region of western France. The name was also found in various other regions of France, including Normandy and Brittany, during the 17th and 18th centuries.
One notable historical reference to the GAUDREAU name can be found in the records of the Châtelet de Paris, a medieval royal court located in the heart of Paris. In 1692, a man named Pierre GAUDREAU was recorded as a merchant and landowner in the city.
The GAUDREAU surname has also been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One of the earliest recorded examples is Jean GAUDREAU, a French soldier who fought in the Hundred Years' War between England and France in the 15th century. Another notable bearer of the name was Jacques GAUDREAU, a French explorer and fur trader who was active in the Great Lakes region of North America in the late 17th century.
In the 19th century, a prominent GAUDREAU was Louis GAUDREAU, a French-Canadian painter and sculptor born in 1835 in Quebec City. His works are known for their detailed depictions of rural life and landscapes in Canada.
Another notable figure was Eugène GAUDREAU, a French politician and lawyer who served as a member of the Chamber of Deputies in the late 19th century. He was born in 1842 in the town of Châteauroux, in central France.
Finally, one of the most famous bearers of the GAUDREAU surname was René GAUDREAU, a French-Canadian author and poet born in 1920 in Montreal. He was renowned for his contributions to the literary movement known as "l'Hexagone" and received numerous accolades, including the prestigious Governor General's Award for French-language poetry in 1970.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gaudreau
Among Census respondents with the surname Gaudreau, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Gaudreau 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 Gaudreau surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.3% · 1,711
- Two or more races3.1% · 57
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 44
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 16
- Black or African American0.2% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gaudreau
Gaudreau 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
#15,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,938
+33 bearers (+1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.66
Rank movement Down 802 places
2020
#15,395
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,834
-104 bearers (-5.4%)
Per 100,000 0.61
Rank movement Down 194 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,399 | 1,905 | 0.71 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,201 | 1,938 | 0.66 | +33 bearers (+1.7%) | Down 802 places |
| 2020 | #15,395 | 1,834 | 0.61 | -104 bearers (-5.4%) | Down 194 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 Gaudreau 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 | #15,201 | #15,395 | -1.3% |
| Count | 1,938 | 1,834 | -5.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.66 | 0.61 | -7.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gaudreau bearers went from 1,938 to 1,834 (-5.4% change). The surname moved down 194 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,201 to #15,395.
FAQ
Gaudreau surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gaudreau?
Name Census estimates that about 2,103 living Americans carry the surname Gaudreau. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 162,984 residents.
How common is Gaudreau?
Gaudreau ranks #15,395 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.61 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,834 people with the surname Gaudreau. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,103), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.61 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.61 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Gaudreau.
Has Gaudreau become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gaudreau went from 1,938 recorded bearers to 1,834. That is a decrease of 104 (-5.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #15,201 to #15,395.
What does the Census say about the background of Gaudreau?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gaudreau, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (2.4%). 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 Gaudreau in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.3% (1,711 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gaudreau appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.3%), Two or More Races (3.1%), Hispanic (2.4%). 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 Gaudreau (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 Gaudreau mean?
A French topographic surname for someone living near a ford or shallow stream crossing. 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 Gaudreau (0.61 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 Americans have the surname Gaudreau?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.