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

Morneault, 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 Morneault surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Morneault in America

Morneault is the 38389th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Morneault surname appeared 577 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 Morneault.

We can also compare 2010 data for Morneault 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.

The history of the last name Morneault

The surname Morneault originated in the northern regions of France, particularly in the provinces of Normandy and Brittany, during the early medieval period around the 9th to 11th centuries. It is derived from the Old French words "morne" meaning "gloomy" or "melancholic" and "ault" which is a diminutive suffix, suggesting a connection to a person with a somewhat somber or serious demeanor.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Dives-sur-Mer cartulary, a medieval manuscript from the 11th century, which mentions a certain Radulfus Morneault, a landowner in the region of Calvados, Normandy. Another notable early reference is in the Domesday Book of 1086, where a landowner named Willelmus Morneault is listed as holding estates in the county of Devon, England, after the Norman Conquest.

In the 13th century, records show a Jehan Morneault who was a prominent merchant and alderman in the city of Rouen, the historic capital of Normandy. Another notable figure from this era was Guillaume Morneault, a renowned scholar and theologian who taught at the University of Paris in the late 12th century.

As the name spread throughout France and eventually to other parts of Europe, it underwent various spelling variations, such as Mornault, Mornaud, and Morneaux. In the 16th century, a branch of the family settled in the Burgundy region, where they became known as the Morneault de Bourgogne.

One of the most famous individuals with this surname was Jean-Baptiste Morneault (1615-1683), a French explorer and cartographer who accompanied the renowned explorer René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, on his expeditions in North America. Morneault is credited with mapping significant portions of the Great Lakes region and the Mississippi River Valley.

Another notable figure was Marie-Anne Morneault (1703-1768), a French noblewoman and philanthropist who founded several orphanages and schools in the city of Lyon. Her legacy is commemorated in the name of a prominent square in the city, the Place Morneault.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Morneault

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

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 Morneault was:

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

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

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

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