2000
#65,668
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 282
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.10
Very Rare Last name
Gaudreault
A French surname derived from a diminutive form of the name Gaudry, meaning "rejoicing".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 353 Americans carry the last name Gaudreault. That puts it at #68,789 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.10 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 970,975 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gaudreault 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
353
1 in 970,975
Census rank
#68,789
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
308
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 308 bearers of the surname Gaudreault in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.10 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 68789th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gaudreault, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (1.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gaudreault
The surname Gaudreault originates from France and is believed to have emerged during the Middle Ages, around the 12th or 13th century. It is derived from the Old French word "gaudre," which means "to rejoice" or "to enjoy," combined with the diminutive suffix "-eault." This suggests that the name may have initially been a nickname given to someone with a cheerful or joyous demeanor.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Gaudreault can be found in the town of Moulins, in the Bourbonnais region of central France. In the 14th century, a man named Jehan Gaudreault was mentioned in local records as a resident of the town.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Gaudreault name began to appear in various regions of France, including Normandy, Brittany, and the Île-de-France region surrounding Paris. It is possible that the name spread through the migration of families or individuals seeking new opportunities.
In the late 17th century, a Frenchman named Pierre Gaudreault (born around 1670) was among the early settlers who established the colony of Nouvelle-France, which later became part of the province of Quebec, Canada. Pierre Gaudreault's descendants contributed to the growth of the Gaudreault family in North America.
Another notable figure with the Gaudreault surname was Jean-Baptiste Gaudreault (1807-1884), a French-Canadian farmer and politician from Quebec. He served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada from 1854 to 1857.
In the 19th century, the Gaudreault name could also be found in other parts of the world, such as the United States. For example, Joseph Gaudreault (1825-1892), born in Quebec, was a businessman and farmer who settled in Minnesota in the mid-1800s.
Another prominent individual with the Gaudreault surname was Marie-Jeanne Gaudreault (1911-1988), a French-Canadian writer and journalist from Quebec. She published several novels and collections of short stories that explored the lives and experiences of rural communities in Quebec.
While the Gaudreault name has evolved over time, its roots can be traced back to medieval France, where it likely originated as a nickname reflecting the cheerful or joyous nature of an individual or family.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gaudreault
Among Census respondents with the surname Gaudreault, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (1.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Gaudreault 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 Gaudreault surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.2% · 287
- Two or more races2.9% · 9
- Hispanic or Latino1.6% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.6% · 5
- Black or African American0.6% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gaudreault
Gaudreault 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
#62,359
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 321
+39 bearers (+13.8%)
Per 100,000 0.11
Rank movement Up 3,309 places
2020
#68,789
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 308
-13 bearers (-4.0%)
Per 100,000 0.10
Rank movement Down 6,430 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #65,668 | 282 | 0.10 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #62,359 | 321 | 0.11 | +39 bearers (+13.8%) | Up 3,309 places |
| 2020 | #68,789 | 308 | 0.10 | -13 bearers (-4.0%) | Down 6,430 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 Gaudreault 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 | #62,359 | #68,789 | -10.3% |
| Count | 321 | 308 | -4.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.11 | 0.10 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gaudreault bearers went from 321 to 308 (-4.0% change). The surname moved down 6,430 positions in the national ranking, going from #62,359 to #68,789.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Gaudreault
FAQ
Gaudreault surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gaudreault?
Name Census estimates that about 353 living Americans carry the surname Gaudreault. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 970,975 residents.
How common is Gaudreault?
Gaudreault ranks #68,789 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.10 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 308 people with the surname Gaudreault. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (353), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.1 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.10 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Gaudreault.
Has Gaudreault become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gaudreault went from 321 recorded bearers to 308. That is a decrease of 13 (-4.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #62,359 to #68,789.
What does the Census say about the background of Gaudreault?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gaudreault, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (1.6%). 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 Gaudreault in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.2% (287 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gaudreault appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.2%), Two or More Races (2.9%), Hispanic (1.6%). 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 Gaudreault (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 Gaudreault mean?
A French surname derived from a diminutive form of the name Gaudry, meaning "rejoicing". 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 Gaudreault (0.10 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 Gaudreault?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.