2000
#25,199
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 923
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.34
Rare Last name
Ouimette
A surname of French origin, possibly derived from the French word "oui" meaning "yes".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,193 Americans carry the last name Ouimette. That puts it at #24,986 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.35 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 287,305 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Ouimette 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
1.2K
1 in 287,305
Census rank
#24,986
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,040 bearers of the surname Ouimette in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.35 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 24986th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Ouimette, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Ouimette
The surname Ouimette is of French origin, derived from the Old French word "oui" meaning "yes". It is believed to have originated in the regions of Normandy and Brittany in the early Middle Ages.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Ouimette de Bretagne". This suggests that the name may have been borne by a Norman-French family from Brittany who settled in England after the Norman Conquest.
In the 13th century, the name appears in various medieval French records, often spelled as "Ouymette" or "Ouymete". This variation in spelling was common during this period due to the lack of standardized orthography.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Ouimette family was prominent in the Normandy region of France. Notable individuals from this time include Jacques Ouimette (1542-1612), a merchant and landowner in Rouen, and Marie Ouimette (1598-1674), a renowned herbalist and midwife in the village of Caudebec-en-Caux.
As French settlers began to explore and colonize North America in the 17th and 18th centuries, the Ouimette name was brought to the New World. One of the earliest recorded instances in Canada is that of Pierre Ouimette (1652-1721), a farmer and fur trader who settled in the region of Quebec.
Another notable figure is Louis Ouimette (1782-1856), a French-Canadian soldier and explorer who accompanied the Lewis and Clark Expedition across the western United States. His journals and maps provided invaluable information about the geography and indigenous populations of the region.
In the 19th century, the Ouimette family became prominent in the logging and timber industry of the Great Lakes region. One notable member was Joseph Ouimette (1825-1901), a successful lumber baron and entrepreneur in northern Michigan.
Throughout its history, the Ouimette surname has maintained a strong presence in both France and French-speaking regions of North America, with many individuals making significant contributions to various fields and industries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ouimette
Among Census respondents with the surname Ouimette, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Ouimette 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 Ouimette surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.7% · 974
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 32
- Two or more races2.4% · 25
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Ouimette
Ouimette 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
#24,572
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,017
+94 bearers (+10.2%)
Per 100,000 0.34
Rank movement Up 627 places
2020
#24,986
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,040
+23 bearers (+2.3%)
Per 100,000 0.35
Rank movement Down 414 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #25,199 | 923 | 0.34 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #24,572 | 1,017 | 0.34 | +94 bearers (+10.2%) | Up 627 places |
| 2020 | #24,986 | 1,040 | 0.35 | +23 bearers (+2.3%) | Down 414 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 Ouimette 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 | #24,572 | #24,986 | -1.7% |
| Count | 1,017 | 1,040 | 2.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.34 | 0.35 | 2.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Ouimette bearers went from 1,017 to 1,040 (+2.3% change). The surname moved down 414 positions in the national ranking, going from #24,572 to #24,986.
FAQ
Ouimette surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Ouimette?
Name Census estimates that about 1,193 living Americans carry the surname Ouimette. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 287,305 residents.
How common is Ouimette?
Ouimette ranks #24,986 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.35 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,040 people with the surname Ouimette. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,193), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.35 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.35 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Ouimette.
Has Ouimette become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Ouimette went from 1,017 recorded bearers to 1,040. That is an increase of 23 (+2.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #24,572 to #24,986.
What does the Census say about the background of Ouimette?
Among Census respondents with the surname Ouimette, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Ouimette in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.7% (974 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Ouimette appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.7%), Hispanic (3.1%), Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Ouimette (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 Ouimette mean?
A surname of French origin, possibly derived from the French word "oui" meaning "yes". 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 Ouimette (0.35 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 share the surname Ouimette?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.