2000
#5,044
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,380
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.37
Rare Last name
Germain
A French toponymic surname referring to someone from Germany or an ancient French region called Germain.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,790 Americans carry the last name Germain. That puts it at #4,493 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.56 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 38,994 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Germain 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Germain with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.8K
1 in 38,994
Census rank
#4,493
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,665 bearers of the surname Germain in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.56 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4493rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Germain, the largest self-reported group is White at 56.3%. The next largest groups are Black (34.3%) and Hispanic (4.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Germain
The surname Germain originated in France during the medieval period. It is derived from the Latin name Germanus, which means "brother" or "of German descent." The name Germain was also the name of a popular 5th-century saint who became the Bishop of Auxerre in France.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the surname Germain can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a survey of landowners in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. This suggests that people with the surname Germain may have migrated from France to England during the Norman Conquest.
The name Germain was also associated with several place names in France, such as Germain-en-Laye and Saint-Germain-des-Prés. These places were often named after local churches or monasteries dedicated to Saint Germain.
One notable person with the surname Germain was Thomas Germain (1673-1748), a French banker and financier who played a significant role in the development of the French economy during the 18th century. Another famous Germain was Sophie Germain (1776-1831), a French mathematician who made important contributions to the study of elasticity theory and number theory.
In the field of literature, Comte de Saint-Germain (c. 1690-1784) was a renowned European adventurer and occultist who claimed to be several centuries old and to possess the secret of immortality. He was a mysterious figure who fascinated many writers and philosophers of his time.
Another significant figure with the surname Germain was Claude Germain (1590-1663), a French Jesuit missionary who traveled to Canada and helped establish the first permanent European settlement in what is now Quebec City.
Germain Pilon (c. 1537-1590) was a celebrated French sculptor during the Renaissance period, known for his works in churches and royal residences in Paris. His most famous work is the sculpture of the "Three Graces" at the Louvre Museum.
Throughout history, the surname Germain has been associated with individuals from diverse backgrounds, including nobility, clergy, scholars, artists, and adventurers, reflecting the rich cultural heritage and influence of this French surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Germain
Among Census respondents with the surname Germain, the largest self-reported group is White at 56.3%. The next largest groups are Black (34.3%) and Hispanic (4.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Germain 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 Germain surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White56.3% · 4,319
- Black or African American34.3% · 2,629
- Hispanic or Latino4.9% · 378
- Two or more races3.4% · 261
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 49
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 29
Timeline
Historical Census data for Germain
Germain 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
#4,816
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,332
+952 bearers (+14.9%)
Per 100,000 2.49
Rank movement Up 228 places
2020
#4,493
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,665
+333 bearers (+4.5%)
Per 100,000 2.56
Rank movement Up 323 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,044 | 6,380 | 2.37 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,816 | 7,332 | 2.49 | +952 bearers (+14.9%) | Up 228 places |
| 2020 | #4,493 | 7,665 | 2.56 | +333 bearers (+4.5%) | Up 323 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 Germain 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 | #4,816 | #4,493 | 6.7% |
| Count | 7,332 | 7,665 | 4.5% |
| Per 100K | 2.49 | 2.56 | 3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Germain bearers went from 7,332 to 7,665 (+4.5% change). The surname moved up 323 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,816 to #4,493.
FAQ
Germain surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Germain?
Name Census estimates that about 8,790 living Americans carry the surname Germain. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 38,994 residents.
How common is Germain?
Germain ranks #4,493 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.56 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,665 people with the surname Germain. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,790), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.56 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.56 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Germain.
Has Germain become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Germain went from 7,332 recorded bearers to 7,665. That is an increase of 333 (+4.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #4,816 to #4,493.
What does the Census say about the background of Germain?
Among Census respondents with the surname Germain, the largest self-reported group is White at 56.3%. The next largest groups are Black (34.3%) and Hispanic (4.9%). 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 Germain in the 2020 Census, accounting for 56.3% (4,319 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Germain appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (56.3%), Black (34.3%), Hispanic (4.9%). 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 Germain (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 Germain mean?
A French toponymic surname referring to someone from Germany or an ancient French region called Germain. 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 Germain (2.56 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 people are called Germain?
See how many people have the surname Germain on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.