Find out how popular the last name Guillaume is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Guillaume.

Guillaume, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Guillaume surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Guillaume in America

Guillaume is the 9987th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Guillaume surname appeared 3,230 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Guillaume.

We can also compare 2010 data for Guillaume to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Guillaume

The surname Guillaume originated in France in the medieval period. It is derived from the French form of the Germanic name Wilhelm or William, which means "resolute protector" or "helmet protector." The name was initially used as a masculine given name before evolving into a hereditary surname.

Guillaume first appeared as a surname in northern France, particularly in the regions of Normandy, Brittany, and Picardy. The earliest recorded instances of the surname can be found in medieval records, such as tax rolls, census documents, and parish registers.

One of the earliest known bearers of the surname Guillaume was Guillaume de Normandie, a Norman nobleman who lived in the 11th century. He was a prominent figure in the Norman conquest of England in 1066 and served as a trusted advisor to William the Conqueror.

Another notable historical figure with the surname Guillaume was Guillaume de Champeaux (c. 1070-1121), a French philosopher and theologian. He was a prominent figure in the Cathedral School of Notre Dame in Paris and is considered a key figure in the development of scholastic philosophy.

In the 13th century, Guillaume de Lorris (c. 1200-1238) was a French poet known for his work "Roman de la Rose," a significant literary work of the medieval period. The poem was later continued by Jean de Meun after Guillaume's death.

During the 14th century, Guillaume de Machaut (c. 1300-1377) was a renowned French poet, composer, and musician. He is considered one of the most important composers of the Ars Nova period and played a crucial role in the development of medieval secular music.

In the 15th century, Guillaume Dufay (c. 1397-1474) was a renowned Franco-Flemish composer and influential figure in the Burgundian School of Renaissance music. His compositions, particularly his masses and motets, played a significant role in the transition from medieval to Renaissance music.

The surname Guillaume has been found in various spellings throughout history, including Guillame, Guilaume, and Guilliaume. These variations reflect regional dialects and spelling conventions of different time periods. Additionally, the surname has been associated with certain place names, such as Guillerval and Guillerville, reflecting the geographic origins of different branches of the family.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Guillaume

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Guillaume.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Guillaume was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Guillaume has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Guillaume was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Guillaume, please contact us.

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