2000
#5,490
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,827
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.16
Rare Last name
Ledoux
A French toponymic surname referring to someone living near a sweet water spring or stream.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,798 Americans carry the last name Ledoux. That puts it at #5,643 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.98 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 50,420 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ledoux 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
6.8K
1 in 50,420
Census rank
#5,643
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,928 bearers of the surname Ledoux in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.98 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5643rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ledoux, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.3%) and Black (5.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ledoux
The surname LEDOUX originates from France and dates back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Old French words "le" meaning "the" and "doux" meaning "gentle" or "sweet". The name likely referred to someone with a gentle or kind demeanor.
LEDOUX was initially found in the regions of Normandy and Brittany in northern France. Some of the earliest recorded spellings include Ledoulx, Le Doulx, and Ledous, reflecting regional variations in pronunciation and spelling conventions of the time.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Jean LEDOUX, a nobleman from Normandy who was mentioned in the Cartulaire de l'Abbaye de Saint-Étienne de Caen, a medieval manuscript dating back to the 12th century.
In the 13th century, a man named Guillaume LEDOUX was recorded as a landowner in the village of Coutances, located in the Normandy region. His name appeared in the Livre des Aveux, a feudal document listing landholdings and tenants.
During the 14th century, the name LEDOUX was also found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landholdings commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The name was associated with various places, including the village of Ledoux in the county of Somerset, England.
One notable bearer of the name was Claude-Nicolas LEDOUX (1736-1806), a prominent French neoclassical architect who designed several notable buildings, including the Saltworks in Arc-et-Senans and the Royal Saltworks in Chaux.
Another notable figure was Alexandre LEDOUX (1803-1857), a French sculptor and painter known for his work on the Arc de Triomphe in Paris and the Panthéon.
In the 19th century, Edmond LEDOUX (1834-1888) was a French politician and journalist who served as a member of the National Assembly and was a vocal advocate for workers' rights.
During the same period, Alphonse LEDOUX (1870-1949) was a Belgian painter and etcher renowned for his landscapes and cityscapes depicting scenes from Brussels and other Belgian cities.
Finally, Fernand LEDOUX (1897-1993) was a French composer and conductor who composed several operas and ballets, including the acclaimed "La Vie Parisienne."
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ledoux
Among Census respondents with the surname Ledoux, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.3%) and Black (5.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Ledoux 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 Ledoux surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.2% · 4,755
- Hispanic or Latino8.3% · 490
- Black or African American5.2% · 309
- Two or more races3.6% · 215
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 104
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 55
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ledoux
Ledoux 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
#5,725
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,058
+231 bearers (+4.0%)
Per 100,000 2.05
Rank movement Down 235 places
2020
#5,643
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,928
-130 bearers (-2.1%)
Per 100,000 1.98
Rank movement Up 82 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,490 | 5,827 | 2.16 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,725 | 6,058 | 2.05 | +231 bearers (+4.0%) | Down 235 places |
| 2020 | #5,643 | 5,928 | 1.98 | -130 bearers (-2.1%) | Up 82 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 Ledoux 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 | #5,725 | #5,643 | 1.4% |
| Count | 6,058 | 5,928 | -2.1% |
| Per 100K | 2.05 | 1.98 | -3.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ledoux bearers went from 6,058 to 5,928 (-2.1% change). The surname moved up 82 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,725 to #5,643.
FAQ
Ledoux surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ledoux?
Name Census estimates that about 6,798 living Americans carry the surname Ledoux. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 50,420 residents.
How common is Ledoux?
Ledoux ranks #5,643 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.98 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,928 people with the surname Ledoux. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,798), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.98 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.98 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Ledoux.
Has Ledoux become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ledoux went from 6,058 recorded bearers to 5,928. That is a decrease of 130 (-2.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #5,725 to #5,643.
What does the Census say about the background of Ledoux?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ledoux, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.3%) and Black (5.2%). 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 Ledoux in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.2% (4,755 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ledoux appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.2%), Hispanic (8.3%), Black (5.2%). 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 Ledoux (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 Ledoux mean?
A French toponymic surname referring to someone living near a sweet water spring or stream. 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 Ledoux (1.98 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 have the last name Ledoux?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Ledoux on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.