2000
#54,020
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 358
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.13
Very Rare Last name
Kirouac
An anglicized spelling of the French-Canadian surname Kerouac, derived from a placename of uncertain origin.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 505 Americans carry the last name Kirouac. That puts it at #51,181 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.15 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 678,721 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kirouac 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
505
1 in 678,721
Census rank
#51,181
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
440
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 440 bearers of the surname Kirouac in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.15 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 51181st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kirouac, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Two or More Races (1.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kirouac
The surname KIROUAC is of French-Canadian origin, tracing its roots back to the early 17th century in the province of Quebec, Canada. It is believed to have originated from the French word "querouer," which means "to excavate" or "to dig," suggesting that the name may have been associated with occupations such as mining or quarrying.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the KIROUAC surname can be found in the parish records of Rivière-Ouelle, Quebec, in the year 1673, where a man named Jean Kirouac was mentioned. This spelling variation, "Kirouac," is thought to be a phonetic adaptation of the original French name.
During the 18th century, the KIROUAC family began to spread across various regions of Quebec, with several members establishing themselves in areas such as Kamouraska, Témiscouata, and the Gaspé Peninsula. The name also appeared in various census records and land registries from this period, reflecting the growing presence of the KIROUAC lineage in the region.
One notable figure bearing the KIROUAC surname was Joseph-Alphonse Kirouac, a Canadian politician who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Quebec in the late 19th century. Born in 1858 in Kamouraska, Quebec, he played an active role in the political landscape of his time.
Another prominent individual was Jean-Baptiste Kirouac, a renowned French-Canadian poet and author who lived from 1892 to 1978. Hailing from Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pocatière, Quebec, his literary works contributed significantly to the cultural heritage of the region.
In the early 20th century, the KIROUAC name gained international recognition through the literary works of Jack Kerouac, the renowned American writer and pioneer of the Beat Generation. Born in 1922 in Lowell, Massachusetts, to French-Canadian parents, Kerouac's seminal novel "On the Road" became a iconic representation of the countercultural movement of the 1950s.
The KIROUAC surname has also been associated with various place names in Quebec, such as the Rivière Kirouac, a river located in the Bas-Saint-Laurent region, and the municipality of Kirouac, which was named after a prominent local family.
Throughout its history, the KIROUAC surname has endured and evolved, carrying with it the rich cultural heritage of French-Canadian roots and the stories of individuals who have left an indelible mark on literature, politics, and society.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kirouac
Among Census respondents with the surname Kirouac, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Two or More Races (1.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Kirouac 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 Kirouac surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.2% · 419
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 12
- Two or more races1.1% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kirouac
Kirouac 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
#49,636
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 423
+65 bearers (+18.2%)
Per 100,000 0.14
Rank movement Up 4,384 places
2020
#51,181
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 440
+17 bearers (+4.0%)
Per 100,000 0.15
Rank movement Down 1,545 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #54,020 | 358 | 0.13 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #49,636 | 423 | 0.14 | +65 bearers (+18.2%) | Up 4,384 places |
| 2020 | #51,181 | 440 | 0.15 | +17 bearers (+4.0%) | Down 1,545 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 Kirouac 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 | #49,636 | #51,181 | -3.1% |
| Count | 423 | 440 | 4.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.14 | 0.15 | 5.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kirouac bearers went from 423 to 440 (+4.0% change). The surname moved down 1,545 positions in the national ranking, going from #49,636 to #51,181.
FAQ
Kirouac surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kirouac?
Name Census estimates that about 505 living Americans carry the surname Kirouac. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 678,721 residents.
How common is Kirouac?
Kirouac ranks #51,181 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.15 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 440 people with the surname Kirouac. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (505), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.15 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.15 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Kirouac.
Has Kirouac become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kirouac went from 423 recorded bearers to 440. That is an increase of 17 (+4.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #49,636 to #51,181.
What does the Census say about the background of Kirouac?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kirouac, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.7%) and Two or More Races (1.1%). 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 Kirouac in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.2% (419 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kirouac appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.2%), Hispanic (2.7%), Two or More Races (1.1%). 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 Kirouac (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 Kirouac mean?
An anglicized spelling of the French-Canadian surname Kerouac, derived from a placename of uncertain origin. 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 Kirouac (0.15 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 Kirouac?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.