2000
#2,455
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,498
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.00
Uncommon Last name
Ouellette
A French occupational surname for a maker or seller of oil, derived from the Old French "ouellet."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 15,162 Americans carry the last name Ouellette. That puts it at #2,664 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.42 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 22,606 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ouellette 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
15K
1 in 22,606
Census rank
#2,664
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
13K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 13,222 bearers of the surname Ouellette in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.42 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2664th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ouellette, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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One notable historical reference to the Ouellette name is in the records of the French colonies in North America.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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ouellette
Among Census respondents with the surname Ouellette, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Ouellette 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 Ouellette surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.9% · 12,283
- Two or more races3.2% · 421
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 332
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 77
- Black or African American0.4% · 58
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 51
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ouellette
Ouellette 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
#2,583
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,984
+486 bearers (+3.6%)
Per 100,000 4.74
Rank movement Down 128 places
2020
#2,664
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,222
-762 bearers (-5.4%)
Per 100,000 4.42
Rank movement Down 81 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,455 | 13,498 | 5.00 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,583 | 13,984 | 4.74 | +486 bearers (+3.6%) | Down 128 places |
| 2020 | #2,664 | 13,222 | 4.42 | -762 bearers (-5.4%) | Down 81 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 Ouellette 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 | #2,583 | #2,664 | -3.1% |
| Count | 13,984 | 13,222 | -5.4% |
| Per 100K | 4.74 | 4.42 | -6.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ouellette bearers went from 13,984 to 13,222 (-5.4% change). The surname moved down 81 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,583 to #2,664.
FAQ
Ouellette surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ouellette?
Name Census estimates that about 15,162 living Americans carry the surname Ouellette. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 22,606 residents.
How common is Ouellette?
Ouellette ranks #2,664 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.42 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 13,222 people with the surname Ouellette. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (15,162), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.42 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.42 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 Ouellette.
Has Ouellette become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ouellette went from 13,984 recorded bearers to 13,222. That is a decrease of 762 (-5.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,583 to #2,664.
What does the Census say about the background of Ouellette?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ouellette, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (2.5%). 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 Ouellette in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.9% (12,283 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ouellette appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.9%), Two or More Races (3.2%), Hispanic (2.5%). 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 Ouellette (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 Ouellette mean?
A French occupational surname for a maker or seller of oil, derived from the Old French "ouellet." 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 Ouellette (4.42 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 many people have the last name Ouellette?
If you just want to know how many people have the last name Ouellette, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.