2000
#2,303
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,408
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.34
Uncommon Last name
Michaud
A French occupational surname referring to a person who sold or produced bread or other baked goods.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 16,144 Americans carry the last name Michaud. That puts it at #2,498 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.71 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 21,231 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Michaud 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
16K
1 in 21,231
Census rank
#2,498
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
14K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 14,078 bearers of the surname Michaud in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.71 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2498th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Michaud, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.4%. The next largest groups are Black (4.7%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Michaud
The surname Michaud has its origins in France, specifically in the region of Franche-Comté. It emerged during the Middle Ages, likely in the 11th or 12th century. The name is derived from the Old French personal name "Michel," which in turn comes from the Hebrew name "Michael," meaning "who is like God."
The earliest known record of the name Michaud can be found in the Cartulaire de Hugues, a medieval manuscript from the Abbey of Saint-Bénigne in Dijon, dating back to the 12th century. The name is also mentioned in various other historical documents, such as the Cartulaire de l'Abbaye de Goaille from the 13th century.
One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name was Jean Michaud, a Norman knight who participated in the Third Crusade under King Richard the Lionheart in the late 12th century. Another notable figure was Pierre Michaud, a French explorer and fur trader who established trading posts in the Great Lakes region of North America in the late 17th century.
During the Middle Ages, the name Michaud was often associated with places in Franche-Comté, such as Michaud-la-Ville, Michaud-le-Château, and Michaud-sur-Loue. These place names likely originated from individuals bearing the surname.
In the 16th century, a prominent member of the Michaud family was Étienne Michaud, a French philosopher and humanist born in Burgundy around 1520. He was known for his writings on ethics and moral philosophy.
Another significant figure was Joseph-François Michaud, a French historian and author born in 1767. He is best known for his monumental work, the "Histoire des Croisades" (History of the Crusades), published between 1812 and 1822.
In the 19th century, Émile Michaud, a French writer and poet born in 1830, gained recognition for his contributions to the Parnassian literary movement.
Jean-Baptiste Michaud, born in 1786 in Franche-Comté, was a notable French diplomat and politician who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs under King Louis XVIII.
These are just a few examples of individuals throughout history who bore the surname Michaud, illustrating its deep roots and significance within French culture and history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Michaud
Among Census respondents with the surname Michaud, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.4%. The next largest groups are Black (4.7%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Michaud 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 Michaud surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.4% · 12,301
- Black or African American4.7% · 660
- Two or more races3.7% · 527
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 406
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 105
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 79
Timeline
Historical Census data for Michaud
Michaud 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
#2,431
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,910
+502 bearers (+3.5%)
Per 100,000 5.05
Rank movement Down 128 places
2020
#2,498
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,078
-832 bearers (-5.6%)
Per 100,000 4.71
Rank movement Down 67 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,303 | 14,408 | 5.34 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,431 | 14,910 | 5.05 | +502 bearers (+3.5%) | Down 128 places |
| 2020 | #2,498 | 14,078 | 4.71 | -832 bearers (-5.6%) | Down 67 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 Michaud 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 | #2,431 | #2,498 | -2.8% |
| Count | 14,910 | 14,078 | -5.6% |
| Per 100K | 5.05 | 4.71 | -6.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Michaud bearers went from 14,910 to 14,078 (-5.6% change). The surname moved down 67 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,431 to #2,498.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Michaud
FAQ
Michaud surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Michaud?
Name Census estimates that about 16,144 living Americans carry the surname Michaud. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 21,231 residents.
How common is Michaud?
Michaud ranks #2,498 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.71 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 14,078 people with the surname Michaud. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (16,144), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.71 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.71 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Michaud.
Has Michaud become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Michaud went from 14,910 recorded bearers to 14,078. That is a decrease of 832 (-5.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,431 to #2,498.
What does the Census say about the background of Michaud?
Among Census respondents with the surname Michaud, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.4%. The next largest groups are Black (4.7%) and Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Michaud in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.4% (12,301 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Michaud appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.4%), Black (4.7%), Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Michaud (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 Michaud mean?
A French occupational surname referring to a person who sold or produced bread or other baked goods. 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 Michaud (4.71 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 Michaud?
Want to know how many people have the last name Michaud? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.