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

Hercule, 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 Hercule surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Hercule in America

Hercule is the 110825th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Hercule surname appeared 159 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Hercule.

The history of the last name Hercule

The surname HERCULE is believed to have originated in France during the medieval period. It is derived from the Latin name Hercules, which was the Roman name for the Greek mythological hero Heracles. The name Hercules itself is derived from the Greek word "Hera," meaning glory or fame, and "kleos," meaning renown or glory.

The earliest recorded use of the surname HERCULE dates back to the 12th century in the regions of Normandy and Brittany in northern France. It is believed that the name was initially adopted by families who lived near places named after the mythological figure, such as the village of Herculat in the Auvergne region.

In the 13th century, the name appears in the records of the Abbey of Saint-Denis near Paris, where a certain Guillelmus Hercules (William Hercule) is mentioned as a landowner. This suggests that the name had already gained some prominence among the French nobility by that time.

One of the earliest prominent individuals bearing the surname HERCULE was Jean Hercule, a French soldier who fought in the Hundred Years' War against the English in the 15th century. He was born around 1410 and died in battle in 1453.

Another notable figure was Pierre Hercule, a French painter and sculptor who lived in the 16th century. He was best known for his work on the Palace of Fontainebleau, where he created several sculptures and decorative elements. Pierre Hercule was born in 1510 and died in 1584.

In the 17th century, the surname HERCULE gained further prominence with the birth of Jacques Hercule, a French philosopher and mathematician. He was born in 1624 and made significant contributions to the fields of geometry and calculus.

In the 18th century, the name was borne by Jean-Baptiste Hercule, a French explorer and navigator who led several expeditions to the Pacific Ocean. He was born in 1732 and died in 1808.

One of the most famous individuals with the surname HERCULE was the Belgian detective fiction writer, Georges Hercule. He was born in 1890 and is best known for creating the famous character of Hercule Poirot, the brilliant Belgian detective. Georges Hercule died in 1976.

While the surname HERCULE is not as common today as it was in its heyday, it remains a part of French and European cultural heritage, with its roots firmly embedded in the mythology and history of the region.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Hercule

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

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 Hercule 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.

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 Hercule was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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