2000
#11,781
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,435
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.90
Rare Last name
Louviere
French occupational surname referring to a wolf hunter or a person from Louvières, France.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,790 Americans carry the last name Louviere. That puts it at #12,211 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.81 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 122,851 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Louviere 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
2.8K
1 in 122,851
Census rank
#12,211
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,433 bearers of the surname Louviere in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.81 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12211th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Louviere, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Black (4.3%) and Hispanic (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Louviere
The surname Louviere originated in France, specifically in the Normandy region, during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old French words 'lou' meaning wolf and 'viere' meaning path or road, suggesting that the name may have referred to a path or route frequented by wolves.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Louviere can be found in the Livre des Bourgeois de Rouen, a register of the citizens of Rouen, Normandy, from the 14th century. This document mentions a Jean Louviere who was a merchant in Rouen during that time.
The Louviere name also appears in the Pouillé de l'Évêché de Bayeux, a ecclesiastical census of the Diocese of Bayeux in Normandy, dating back to the 15th century. This record lists several members of the Louviere family who were landowners and tenants in the region.
In the 16th century, a notable figure bearing the name was Nicolas Louviere, a French poet and writer born in Rouen in 1523. He is known for his collection of poems titled "Les Muses Normandes" published in 1589.
During the 17th century, the Louviere family established themselves in various parts of France, including the regions of Île-de-France and Poitou. One prominent member was Jacques Louviere, born in Paris in 1642, who was a renowned lawyer and magistrate.
In the 18th century, the Louviere name gained recognition through Marie-Anne Louviere, a French actress and dancer born in Marseille in 1721. She performed at the renowned Comédie-Française theater in Paris and was celebrated for her roles in comedic plays.
The 19th century saw the rise of another notable figure, Louis-François Louviere, born in Lyon in 1812. He was a successful industrialist and entrepreneur who founded a textile manufacturing company that contributed significantly to the city's economic development.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Louviere
Among Census respondents with the surname Louviere, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Black (4.3%) and Hispanic (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Louviere 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 Louviere surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.3% · 2,149
- Black or African American4.3% · 105
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 80
- Two or more races2.8% · 69
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 18
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Louviere
Louviere 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
#12,411
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,505
+70 bearers (+2.9%)
Per 100,000 0.85
Rank movement Down 630 places
2020
#12,211
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,433
-72 bearers (-2.9%)
Per 100,000 0.81
Rank movement Up 200 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,781 | 2,435 | 0.90 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,411 | 2,505 | 0.85 | +70 bearers (+2.9%) | Down 630 places |
| 2020 | #12,211 | 2,433 | 0.81 | -72 bearers (-2.9%) | Up 200 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 Louviere 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 | #12,411 | #12,211 | 1.6% |
| Count | 2,505 | 2,433 | -2.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.85 | 0.81 | -4.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Louviere bearers went from 2,505 to 2,433 (-2.9% change). The surname moved up 200 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,411 to #12,211.
FAQ
Louviere surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Louviere?
Name Census estimates that about 2,790 living Americans carry the surname Louviere. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 122,851 residents.
How common is Louviere?
Louviere ranks #12,211 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.81 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 2,433 people with the surname Louviere. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,790), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.81 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.81 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 Louviere.
Has Louviere become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Louviere went from 2,505 recorded bearers to 2,433. That is a decrease of 72 (-2.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #12,411 to #12,211.
What does the Census say about the background of Louviere?
Among Census respondents with the surname Louviere, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Black (4.3%) and Hispanic (3.3%). 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 Louviere in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.3% (2,149 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Louviere appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.3%), Black (4.3%), Hispanic (3.3%). 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 Louviere (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 Louviere mean?
French occupational surname referring to a wolf hunter or a person from Louvières, France. 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 Louviere (0.81 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 Louviere?
If you just want to know how common the surname Louviere is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.