2000
#143,847
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Langteau
A French habitational surname derived from the name of a place in the Orne region.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 130 Americans carry the last name Langteau. That puts it at #147,221 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,636,572 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Langteau 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
130
1 in 2,636,572
Census rank
#147,221
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
113
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 113 bearers of the surname Langteau in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147221st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Langteau, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.3%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Langteau
The surname Langteau has its origins in France, with records dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old French word "langetau," which referred to a long and narrow strip of land or a ditch. This suggests that the name may have initially been a descriptive term for someone who lived near such a geographical feature.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the village of Vaudoy, in the Burgundy region of France, where a family by the name of Langteau is mentioned in a local census from 1587. The name also appears in various church records and administrative documents from the 17th and 18th centuries in the nearby towns of Dijon and Beaune.
In the 19th century, a notable bearer of the name was Jean-Baptiste Langteau (1798-1873), a French painter known for his landscapes and portrayals of rural life. His works can be found in several prominent museums across France.
Another individual of note was Pierre Langteau (1832-1911), a French architect who played a significant role in the renovation and restoration of several historic buildings in Paris, including the iconic Notre-Dame Cathedral.
Across the Atlantic, one of the earliest recorded instances of the Langteau name in North America dates back to the late 18th century, when Jean-Marie Langteau (1767-1842) emigrated from France to Quebec, Canada. He settled in the Beauce region and became a prominent figure in the local community, serving as a magistrate and landowner.
In the United States, the name Langteau can be traced back to the early 19th century, with records indicating that a family by that name had settled in the state of Louisiana, likely originating from the French-speaking regions of Canada or directly from France.
Among the notable American bearers of the Langteau name was Alexander Langteau (1854-1932), a successful businessman and entrepreneur who founded the Langteau Lumber Company in New Orleans, which played a significant role in the city's economic growth during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
While not as widespread as some other surnames, the name Langteau has left its mark on various parts of the world, with a rich history that spans several centuries and includes individuals from diverse backgrounds and professions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Langteau
Among Census respondents with the surname Langteau, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.3%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Langteau 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 Langteau surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.4% · 101
- Hispanic or Latino5.3% · 6
- Two or more races2.7% · 3
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Langteau
Langteau 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
#146,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
+7 bearers (+6.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 2,354 places
2020
#147,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,020 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #143,847 | 106 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #146,201 | 113 | 0.04 | +7 bearers (+6.6%) | Down 2,354 places |
| 2020 | #147,221 | 113 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 1,020 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 Langteau 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 | #146,201 | #147,221 | -0.7% |
| Count | 113 | 113 | 0.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Langteau bearers went from 113 to 113 (+0.0% change). The surname moved down 1,020 positions in the national ranking, going from #146,201 to #147,221.
FAQ
Langteau surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Langteau?
Name Census estimates that about 130 living Americans carry the surname Langteau. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,636,572 residents.
How common is Langteau?
Langteau ranks #147,221 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 113 people with the surname Langteau. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (130), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Langteau.
Has Langteau become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Langteau went from 113 recorded bearers to 113. That is an increase of 0 (+0.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #146,201 to #147,221.
What does the Census say about the background of Langteau?
Among Census respondents with the surname Langteau, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.3%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Langteau in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.4% (101 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Langteau appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.4%), Hispanic (5.3%), Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Langteau (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 Langteau mean?
A French habitational surname derived from the name of a place in the Orne region. 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 Langteau (0.04 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 are called Langteau?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Langteau at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.