2000
#24,406
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 961
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.36
Rare Last name
Janvier
A surname derived from the French word meaning "January" or the month of January.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,221 Americans carry the last name Janvier. That puts it at #14,717 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.65 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 154,324 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Janvier 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 154,324
Census rank
#14,717
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,937 bearers of the surname Janvier in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.65 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 14717th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Janvier, the largest self-reported group is Black at 84.5%. The next largest groups are White (9.2%) and Hispanic (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Janvier
The surname Janvier originated in France during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the French word "janvier," which means January. The name was likely given to someone who was born or had some significant event occur in the month of January.
Janvier is a variant spelling of the Old French word "janvyer," which comes from the Latin word "ianuarius." This Latin word is derived from the name of the Roman god Janus, who was the god of beginnings and transitions.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Janvier dates back to the 13th century in the region of Normandy, France. The name appeared in various medieval records, such as tax rolls and land registries.
In the 14th century, there are references to a person named Guillaume Janvier, who was a landowner in the village of Bourgogne. Another notable individual was Jean Janvier, a merchant from the city of Paris, who lived during the 15th century.
The Janvier surname can also be found in some place names, such as Janvier-en-Champagne, a commune in the Marne department of northeastern France. This place name likely originated from a person with the surname Janvier who resided or owned land in that area.
During the 16th century, a prominent figure named Pierre Janvier (c. 1510-1580) was a French philosopher and writer who contributed to the Renaissance movement. He was known for his works on ethics and moral philosophy.
Another notable person with the surname Janvier was Antoinette Janvier (1738-1805), a French playwright and novelist who lived during the Enlightenment period. She wrote several successful plays and novels that were popular in her time.
In the 19th century, Louis Janvier (1815-1892) was a French painter and engraver who was known for his landscapes and marine paintings. He studied under the famous French artist Eugène Isabey.
A more recent figure was Marcel Janvier (1893-1950), a French architect and designer who was influential in the Art Deco movement. He designed several iconic buildings and interiors in Paris during the early 20th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Janvier
Among Census respondents with the surname Janvier, the largest self-reported group is Black at 84.5%. The next largest groups are White (9.2%) and Hispanic (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Janvier 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 Janvier surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American84.5% · 1,637
- White9.2% · 179
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 70
- Two or more races2.1% · 41
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Janvier
Janvier 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
#18,596
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,482
+521 bearers (+54.2%)
Per 100,000 0.50
Rank movement Up 5,810 places
2020
#14,717
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,937
+455 bearers (+30.7%)
Per 100,000 0.65
Rank movement Up 3,879 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #24,406 | 961 | 0.36 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #18,596 | 1,482 | 0.50 | +521 bearers (+54.2%) | Up 5,810 places |
| 2020 | #14,717 | 1,937 | 0.65 | +455 bearers (+30.7%) | Up 3,879 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 Janvier 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 | #18,596 | #14,717 | 20.9% |
| Count | 1,482 | 1,937 | 30.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.50 | 0.65 | 29.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Janvier bearers went from 1,482 to 1,937 (+30.7% change). The surname moved up 3,879 positions in the national ranking, going from #18,596 to #14,717.
FAQ
Janvier surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Janvier?
Name Census estimates that about 2,221 living Americans carry the surname Janvier. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 154,324 residents.
How common is Janvier?
Janvier ranks #14,717 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.65 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 1,937 people with the surname Janvier. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,221), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.65 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.65 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 Janvier.
Has Janvier become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Janvier went from 1,482 recorded bearers to 1,937. That is an increase of 455 (+30.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #18,596 to #14,717.
What does the Census say about the background of Janvier?
Among Census respondents with the surname Janvier, the largest self-reported group is Black at 84.5%. The next largest groups are White (9.2%) and Hispanic (3.6%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Janvier in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.5% (1,637 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Janvier appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (84.5%), White (9.2%), Hispanic (3.6%). 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 Janvier (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 Janvier mean?
A surname derived from the French word meaning "January" or the month of January. 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 Janvier (0.65 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 Janvier?
Want to know how common the surname Janvier is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.