2000
#14,278
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,925
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.71
Rare Last name
Loiselle
A French habitational surname referring to someone living near a small grove of trees, derived from "l'oiselle."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,143 Americans carry the last name Loiselle. That puts it at #15,142 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.63 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 159,941 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Loiselle 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
2.1K
1 in 159,941
Census rank
#15,142
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,869 bearers of the surname Loiselle in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.63 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15142nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Loiselle, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Loiselle
The surname LOISELLE originates from France and dates back to the early 12th century. It is derived from the Old French word "loisel", meaning a little lark or a small bird. This name likely originated as a nickname for someone who resembled a lark in some way, perhaps with a small stature or cheerful demeanor.
The earliest recorded instances of the LOISELLE surname can be found in medieval records from the Normandy region of northern France. The name appears in various spellings such as Loisel, Loiselle, and Loiseau, which all stem from the same root word.
One of the earliest known bearers of the LOISELLE name was Jean Loiselle, a French merchant who lived in the city of Rouen in the late 13th century. Records show that he was involved in the lucrative textile trade and held significant influence in the local guild system.
During the 14th century, the LOISELLE surname spread beyond Normandy to other regions of France, including Île-de-France and Picardy. This was likely due to the migration of individuals seeking new economic opportunities or fleeing conflicts.
In the 16th century, a notable figure bearing the LOISELLE name was Guillaume Loiselle, a French poet and playwright born in Amiens in 1535. His works, which included satirical plays and lyrical poems, were widely acclaimed during his lifetime.
The LOISELLE surname also found its way to other parts of Europe, particularly Belgium and Switzerland, where French-speaking communities existed. One such individual was Jean-Baptiste Loiselle, a Swiss watchmaker born in Geneva in 1712, who was renowned for his intricate timepiece designs.
Another prominent bearer of the LOISELLE name was Louise Loiselle, a French artist born in Paris in 1828. She was known for her vibrant landscape paintings and was a member of the influential Barbizon school of painters.
In the late 19th century, the LOISELLE surname made its way across the Atlantic to North America, carried by French immigrants seeking new opportunities. One such individual was Henri Loiselle, a farmer from Normandy who settled in Quebec, Canada, in 1882.
Throughout its long history, the LOISELLE surname has maintained its French roots and connections to the Normandy region, where it first emerged as a distinctive family name centuries ago.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Loiselle
Among Census respondents with the surname Loiselle, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Loiselle 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 Loiselle surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.4% · 1,727
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 69
- Two or more races2.6% · 49
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 10
- Black or African American0.4% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Loiselle
Loiselle 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
#14,803
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,004
+79 bearers (+4.1%)
Per 100,000 0.68
Rank movement Down 525 places
2020
#15,142
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,869
-135 bearers (-6.7%)
Per 100,000 0.63
Rank movement Down 339 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,278 | 1,925 | 0.71 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,803 | 2,004 | 0.68 | +79 bearers (+4.1%) | Down 525 places |
| 2020 | #15,142 | 1,869 | 0.63 | -135 bearers (-6.7%) | Down 339 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 Loiselle 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 | #14,803 | #15,142 | -2.3% |
| Count | 2,004 | 1,869 | -6.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.68 | 0.63 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Loiselle bearers went from 2,004 to 1,869 (-6.7% change). The surname moved down 339 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,803 to #15,142.
FAQ
Loiselle surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Loiselle?
Name Census estimates that about 2,143 living Americans carry the surname Loiselle. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 159,941 residents.
How common is Loiselle?
Loiselle ranks #15,142 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.63 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 1,869 people with the surname Loiselle. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,143), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.63 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.63 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 Loiselle.
Has Loiselle become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Loiselle went from 2,004 recorded bearers to 1,869. That is a decrease of 135 (-6.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,803 to #15,142.
What does the Census say about the background of Loiselle?
Among Census respondents with the surname Loiselle, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (2.6%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Loiselle in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.4% (1,727 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Loiselle appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.4%), Hispanic (3.7%), Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Loiselle (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 Loiselle mean?
A French habitational surname referring to someone living near a small grove of trees, derived from "l'oiselle." 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 Loiselle (0.63 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 Loiselle?
Find out how many people have the last name Loiselle on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.