2000
#3,027
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,973
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.07
Uncommon Last name
Menard
A French occupational surname derived from Old French "mesnard," meaning "steward" or "keeper of the household."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 12,984 Americans carry the last name Menard. That puts it at #3,100 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.79 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 26,398 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Menard 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
13K
1 in 26,398
Census rank
#3,100
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
11K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 11,323 bearers of the surname Menard in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.79 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3100th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Menard, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.5%. The next largest groups are Black (9.0%) and Hispanic (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Menard
The surname Menard originated in France and dates back to the early medieval period. It is derived from the Old French word "mesnard," which means "household steward" or "household manager." This name was likely given to individuals who worked as stewards or overseers of large estates or households.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Menard can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landowners and properties in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The name is mentioned in this document in connection with a Norman landowner who held property in Gloucestershire.
In France, the name Menard can be traced back to the 12th century. One notable early bearer of this name was Hugues Ménard, a French knight who participated in the Third Crusade (1189-1192) under King Philip II of France. Another early Menard of note was Pierre Ménard, a 13th-century French scholar and poet who taught at the University of Paris.
The Menard surname was also found in various regions of France, including Normandy, Brittany, and the Île-de-France region. Several place names in France, such as Ménardville and Ménard-la-Ville, are believed to have been derived from this surname.
One of the most famous individuals with the surname Menard was René Ménard (1605-1661), a French lawyer and writer who served as a magistrate in the Parlement of Paris. Another notable Menard was Pierre Ménard (1766-1844), a French-American fur trader, politician, and co-founder of the city of Galena, Illinois.
Other notable individuals with the surname Menard include Louis Ménard (1822-1901), a French philosopher and writer; René Ménard (1919-2011), a French Roman Catholic bishop; and Marcel Ménard (1917-1986), a French actor and playwright.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Menard
Among Census respondents with the surname Menard, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.5%. The next largest groups are Black (9.0%) and Hispanic (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Menard 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 Menard surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.5% · 9,226
- Black or African American9.0% · 1,019
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 432
- Two or more races3.3% · 370
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.5% · 172
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 104
Timeline
Historical Census data for Menard
Menard 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
#3,126
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,543
+570 bearers (+5.2%)
Per 100,000 3.91
Rank movement Down 99 places
2020
#3,100
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,323
-220 bearers (-1.9%)
Per 100,000 3.79
Rank movement Up 26 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,027 | 10,973 | 4.07 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,126 | 11,543 | 3.91 | +570 bearers (+5.2%) | Down 99 places |
| 2020 | #3,100 | 11,323 | 3.79 | -220 bearers (-1.9%) | Up 26 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 Menard 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 | #3,126 | #3,100 | 0.8% |
| Count | 11,543 | 11,323 | -1.9% |
| Per 100K | 3.91 | 3.79 | -3.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Menard bearers went from 11,543 to 11,323 (-1.9% change). The surname moved up 26 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,126 to #3,100.
FAQ
Menard surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Menard?
Name Census estimates that about 12,984 living Americans carry the surname Menard. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 26,398 residents.
How common is Menard?
Menard ranks #3,100 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.79 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 11,323 people with the surname Menard. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (12,984), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.79 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.79 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Menard.
Has Menard become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Menard went from 11,543 recorded bearers to 11,323. That is a decrease of 220 (-1.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #3,126 to #3,100.
What does the Census say about the background of Menard?
Among Census respondents with the surname Menard, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.5%. The next largest groups are Black (9.0%) and Hispanic (3.8%). 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 Menard in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.5% (9,226 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Menard appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.5%), Black (9.0%), Hispanic (3.8%). 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 Menard (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 Menard mean?
A French occupational surname derived from Old French "mesnard," meaning "steward" or "keeper of the household." 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 Menard (3.79 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 Menard?
Find out how many people have the surname Menard on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.