Mauvais last name popularity, history, and meaning

Find out how popular the last name Mauvais is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Mauvais.

Meaning of Mauvais

A surname of French origin meaning "bad" or "evil".

Mauvais, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Mauvais surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Mauvais in America

Mauvais is the 84136th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Mauvais surname appeared 223 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Mauvais.

We can also compare 2010 data for Mauvais to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 84136 126400 -40.15%
Count 223 125 56.32%
Proportion per 100k 0.08 0.05 46.15%

The history of the last name Mauvais

The surname Mauvais originated in France during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old French word "mauvais," meaning "bad" or "wicked." This name likely originated as a descriptive nickname for someone with a less-than-desirable personality or behavior.

The earliest recorded instances of the Mauvais surname can be found in medieval French records and documents from the 12th and 13th centuries. One notable example is Jean Mauvais, a French nobleman who lived in the late 13th century and was mentioned in the chronicles of the time for his involvement in local feuds and conflicts.

In the 14th century, the Mauvais surname appeared in the Livre des Bourgeois de Reims, a historic record of the citizens of the city of Reims, France. This document mentions several families bearing the Mauvais name, suggesting that it had become an established surname by that time.

During the Renaissance period, the Mauvais surname gained some prominence in France. A notable figure was Pierre Mauvais (1510-1582), a French philosopher and theologian who was a prominent figure in the intellectual circles of his time. He wrote several treatises on philosophy and religion that were influential in the debates of the era.

Another historical figure with the Mauvais surname was Jacques Mauvais (1666-1734), a French painter and engraver who was known for his landscapes and portraits. His works can be found in several museums and private collections across France.

In the 18th century, the Mauvais name was associated with the French Revolution. Jean-Baptiste Mauvais (1745-1793) was a revolutionary and politician who served as a deputy in the National Convention during the height of the revolution. He was known for his radical views and support for the execution of King Louis XVI.

While the Mauvais surname has its origins in France, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through French emigration and colonization. However, the name's earliest and most significant historical roots can be traced back to its French origins and the various figures who bore this surname throughout the medieval, Renaissance, and revolutionary periods of French history.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Mauvais

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Mauvais.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

  1. White only
  2. Black only
  3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
  4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
  5. Hispanic
  6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Mauvais was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 31.39% 70
Non-Hispanic Black Only 61.88% 138
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 5.38% 12
Hispanic Origin (S)% (S)

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Mauvais has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 31.39% 51.20% -47.97%
Black 61.88% 37.60% 48.81%
Asian and Pacific Islander (S)% (S)% (S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
Two or More Races 5.38% 10.40% -63.62%
Hispanic (S)% (S)% (S)%

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Mauvais was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Mauvais, please contact us.

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"Mauvais last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on December 22, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/mauvais-surname-popularity/.

"Mauvais last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/mauvais-surname-popularity/. Accessed 22 December, 2024

Mauvais last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/mauvais-surname-popularity/.

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