Molette last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Molette

A surname with French origins related to bread making or milling.

Molette, 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 Molette surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Molette in America

Molette is the 47791st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Molette surname appeared 443 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 Molette.

We can also compare 2010 data for Molette 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 47791 44895 6.25%
Count 443 450 -1.57%
Proportion per 100k 0.15 0.17 -12.50%

The history of the last name Molette

The surname MOLETTE is of French origin, originating in the northern regions of France during the medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Old French word "molette," which referred to a small millstone or grindstone used for sharpening tools or grinding spices. This connection suggests that the name may have been an occupational surname, given to those who worked as millers or with grinding tools.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name MOLETTE can be found in the Calendars of Normandy from the 13th century, where a certain Jean Molette is mentioned as a resident of the town of Rouen. This suggests that the name was already established in Normandy by that time.

In the 14th century, the name appears in various records from the region of Picardy, such as the Cartulary of the Abbey of Saint-Vaast d'Arras, where a certain Eustache Molette is mentioned as a landowner in the village of Avesnes-le-Comte.

The MOLETTE surname can also be found in the Armorial Général de France, a register of French nobility compiled in the late 17th century. This indicates that by that time, the name had achieved a certain level of prominence and recognition.

Notable individuals with the surname MOLETTE throughout history include:

  1. Guillaume Molette (c. 1450 - 1522), a French architect and sculptor who worked on the construction of the Château de Chambord in the Loire Valley.

  2. Jean Molette (c. 1550 - 1612), a French painter and engraver known for his religious works and portraits.

  3. Nicolas Molette (c. 1630 - 1701), a French mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the study of celestial mechanics.

  4. Marie-Geneviève Molette (1723 - 1804), a French novelist and playwright whose works explored themes of love, power, and social inequality.

  5. Édouard Molette (1849 - 1923), a French painter and illustrator known for his landscapes and genre scenes depicting rural life in France.

While the surname MOLETTE is not among the most common in France today, its rich history and connections to various professions and regions of France make it a fascinating example of the country's diverse cultural heritage.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Molette

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

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 Molette was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 14.90% 66
Non-Hispanic Black Only 79.91% 354
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 2.71% 12
Hispanic Origin 2.03% 9

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 Molette has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 14.90% 16.22% -8.48%
Black 79.91% 80.67% -0.95%
Asian and Pacific Islander (S)% (S)% (S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)% (S)%
Two or More Races 2.71% 1.56% 53.86%
Hispanic 2.03% 1.11% 58.60%

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 Molette was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

Reference this page

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

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

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

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