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

Ouellette, 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 Ouellette surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Ouellette in America

Ouellette is the 2583rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Ouellette surname appeared 13,984 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 5 people would have the surname Ouellette.

We can also compare 2010 data for Ouellette 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 Ouellette

The surname Ouellette is of French origin, originating in the Normandy region of northern France. It is derived from the Old French word "ouellet," which means "little eye" or "little opening." This name likely referred to a physical characteristic or a location associated with a small opening or eye-shaped feature.

The earliest recorded instances of the Ouellette surname can be traced back to the 17th century in France. In 1668, a record shows a Jean Ouellette living in the town of Rouen, Normandy. Other early records from the late 1600s and early 1700s show the name appearing in various spellings, such as Ouallet, Ouellet, and Ouillet, which were common variations at the time.

One notable historical reference to the Ouellette name is in the records of the French colonies in North America. In 1669, a man named René Ouellette is listed as one of the first French settlers in the colony of Acadia, which is now part of eastern Canada. This suggests that Ouellette families were among the early French colonists who helped establish settlements in the New World.

Over the centuries, several individuals with the Ouellette surname have achieved recognition in various fields. One example is Jacques Ouellette (1901-1983), a Canadian artist and sculptor known for his work in the Québec region. Another notable figure is Fernand Ouellette (1930-2018), a French-Canadian poet and novelist who was a prominent figure in the literary scene of Quebec.

Other notable individuals with the Ouellette surname include:

1. René Ouellette (1920-2004), a Canadian politician who served as a member of the House of Commons of Canada from 1962 to 1979.
2. Édouard Ouellette (1848-1912), a French-Canadian businessman and politician who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Quebec in the late 19th century.
3. Gérard Ouellette (1926-2004), a Canadian actor and director who worked extensively in both English and French-language theater and film productions.
4. Marie-Victorin Ouellette (1885-1944), a French-Canadian botanist and educator who made significant contributions to the study of plant life in Quebec.
5. Rémi Ouellette (1958-present), a Canadian writer and academic who has published several novels and works of non-fiction.

While the Ouellette surname has its origins in France, it has since become well-established in various parts of North America, particularly in regions with significant French-Canadian populations, such as Quebec, New Brunswick, and parts of New England in the United States.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Ouellette

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!