2000
#14,122
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,955
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.72
Rare Last name
Gendreau
A French occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of ashes or cinders used for soap-making.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,203 Americans carry the last name Gendreau. That puts it at #14,815 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.64 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 155,585 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Gendreau 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
2.2K
1 in 155,585
Census rank
#14,815
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,921 bearers of the surname Gendreau in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.64 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14815th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Gendreau, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Gendreau
The surname GENDREAU is of French origin, tracing its roots back to the northern regions of France during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old French word "gendror," which means "son-in-law" or "brother-in-law." This suggests that the name may have originally been a descriptive nickname given to someone who married into a prominent family.
The earliest known record of the GENDREAU name appears in the 13th century, in a document from the Normandy region of France. This document mentions a certain Renaud Gendreau, who was a landowner and farmer in the village of Caux. The name is also found in various medieval manuscripts and records from other parts of northern France, such as Picardy and Île-de-France.
One of the most notable historical figures with the GENDREAU surname was Jean Gendreau (1580-1648), a French philosopher and theologian who was a professor at the University of Paris. He was a prominent figure in the intellectual circles of his time and authored several works on metaphysics and theology.
Another prominent GENDREAU was Pierre Gendreau (1632-1701), a French architect who was responsible for designing several notable buildings in Paris, including the Church of Saint-Sulpice and the Palais du Luxembourg. His architectural style was heavily influenced by the Baroque and Classical traditions.
In the 17th and 18th centuries, the GENDREAU name also spread to other parts of Europe, including Belgium and Switzerland. One notable individual from this period was Charles-Henri Gendreau (1745-1820), a Swiss military officer who fought in the French Revolutionary Wars and later served as a general under Napoleon.
The 19th century saw the GENDREAU name appearing in various parts of the world, as French settlers and immigrants carried the name with them. One such individual was François Gendreau (1802-1879), a French-Canadian businessman and politician who played a significant role in the development of the city of Quebec.
Another notable figure was Émile Gendreau (1856-1924), a French explorer and naturalist who conducted extensive research in the Amazon rainforest and contributed to the understanding of the region's flora and fauna.
Throughout its history, the GENDREAU surname has been associated with various professions, including agriculture, academia, architecture, military service, and exploration. While its origins can be traced back to medieval France, the name has spread across continents and cultures, leaving a lasting mark on the diverse tapestry of human history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Gendreau
Among Census respondents with the surname Gendreau, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Gendreau 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 Gendreau surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.8% · 1,782
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 69
- Two or more races2.6% · 49
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 15
- Black or African American0.2% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Gendreau
Gendreau 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
#14,505
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,057
+102 bearers (+5.2%)
Per 100,000 0.70
Rank movement Down 383 places
2020
#14,815
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,921
-136 bearers (-6.6%)
Per 100,000 0.64
Rank movement Down 310 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,122 | 1,955 | 0.72 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,505 | 2,057 | 0.70 | +102 bearers (+5.2%) | Down 383 places |
| 2020 | #14,815 | 1,921 | 0.64 | -136 bearers (-6.6%) | Down 310 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 Gendreau 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 | #14,505 | #14,815 | -2.1% |
| Count | 2,057 | 1,921 | -6.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.70 | 0.64 | -8.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Gendreau bearers went from 2,057 to 1,921 (-6.6% change). The surname moved down 310 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,505 to #14,815.
FAQ
Gendreau surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Gendreau?
Name Census estimates that about 2,203 living Americans carry the surname Gendreau. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 155,585 residents.
How common is Gendreau?
Gendreau ranks #14,815 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.64 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 1,921 people with the surname Gendreau. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,203), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.64 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.64 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 Gendreau.
Has Gendreau become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Gendreau went from 2,057 recorded bearers to 1,921. That is a decrease of 136 (-6.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,505 to #14,815.
What does the Census say about the background of Gendreau?
Among Census respondents with the surname Gendreau, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Gendreau in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.8% (1,782 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Gendreau appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.8%), Hispanic (3.6%), Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Gendreau (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 Gendreau mean?
A French occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of ashes or cinders used for soap-making. 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 Gendreau (0.64 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 common is the surname Gendreau?
If you just want to know how many people are called Gendreau, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.