2000
#11,530
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,501
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.93
Rare Last name
Giguere
A French occupational surname for a player or maker of gigues, a type of musical instrument similar to a fiddle.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,664 Americans carry the last name Giguere. That puts it at #12,691 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.78 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 128,662 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Giguere 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
2.7K
1 in 128,662
Census rank
#12,691
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,323 bearers of the surname Giguere in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.78 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12691st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Giguere, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Giguere
The surname Giguere has its origins in France, dating back to the 17th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old French word "gigue," which referred to a type of lively dance or fiddle. The name may have been initially given as a nickname to someone who played the fiddle or had a fondness for dancing.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Giguere name can be found in the parish records of Saint-Nicolas, Quebec, Canada, in the late 17th century. This suggests that the name was likely brought to the New World by early French settlers and immigrants.
In terms of historical references, the Giguere name appears in various documents and records throughout the centuries. For instance, in the 18th century, a man named Pierre Giguere was listed as a resident of Rivière-Ouelle, Quebec, in the census records of 1765.
Notable individuals with the Giguere surname include Jacques Giguere, a French-Canadian politician and lawyer who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Quebec in the late 19th century (1847-1916). Another prominent figure was Georges Giguere, a renowned French-Canadian artist and sculptor known for his public works of art, who lived from 1912 to 1988.
In the literary world, the name Giguere is associated with the Quebec poet and writer Roland Giguere, who was born in 1929 and passed away in 2003. His works played a significant role in the literary movement known as the "Quiet Revolution" in Quebec.
The Giguere name has also been linked to various place names throughout history. For example, there is a small village called Giguere in the Côte-Nord region of Quebec, which may have been named after an early settler or resident with the Giguere surname.
Another noteworthy individual was Marie-Anne Giguere, a French-Canadian diarist and author who lived in the 18th century. Her written accounts provide valuable insights into the daily life and experiences of women in New France during that time period.
While the Giguere surname has its roots in France, it has since spread to various parts of the world, including Canada, the United States, and other countries with French influences or connections. However, the name's rich history and origins can be traced back to the early French settlers who brought it to the New World centuries ago.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Giguere
Among Census respondents with the surname Giguere, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Giguere 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 Giguere surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.4% · 2,194
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 58
- Two or more races2.2% · 51
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 10
- Black or African American0.2% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Giguere
Giguere 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
#12,255
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,538
+37 bearers (+1.5%)
Per 100,000 0.86
Rank movement Down 725 places
2020
#12,691
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,323
-215 bearers (-8.5%)
Per 100,000 0.78
Rank movement Down 436 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,530 | 2,501 | 0.93 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,255 | 2,538 | 0.86 | +37 bearers (+1.5%) | Down 725 places |
| 2020 | #12,691 | 2,323 | 0.78 | -215 bearers (-8.5%) | Down 436 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 Giguere 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 | #12,255 | #12,691 | -3.6% |
| Count | 2,538 | 2,323 | -8.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.86 | 0.78 | -9.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Giguere bearers went from 2,538 to 2,323 (-8.5% change). The surname moved down 436 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,255 to #12,691.
FAQ
Giguere surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Giguere?
Name Census estimates that about 2,664 living Americans carry the surname Giguere. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 128,662 residents.
How common is Giguere?
Giguere ranks #12,691 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.78 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 2,323 people with the surname Giguere. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,664), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.78 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.78 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 Giguere.
Has Giguere become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Giguere went from 2,538 recorded bearers to 2,323. That is a decrease of 215 (-8.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,255 to #12,691.
What does the Census say about the background of Giguere?
Among Census respondents with the surname Giguere, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.5%) and Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Giguere in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.4% (2,194 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Giguere appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.4%), Hispanic (2.5%), Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Giguere (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 Giguere mean?
A French occupational surname for a player or maker of gigues, a type of musical instrument similar to a fiddle. 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 Giguere (0.78 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 share the surname Giguere?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.