2000
#4,271
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,679
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.85
Rare Last name
Picard
An occupational surname referring to someone who collects pitch or tar, or a maker of picks and pickaxes.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,454 Americans carry the last name Picard. That puts it at #4,666 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.47 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 40,543 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Picard 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Picard with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.5K
1 in 40,543
Census rank
#4,666
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,372 bearers of the surname Picard in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.47 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4666th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Picard, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Picard
The surname Picard originates from the northern French region of Picardy, which lies along the English Channel. The name itself derives from the Old French word "picart", which means someone from Picardy. It is believed that the name emerged sometime during the medieval period, after the region of Picardy became more defined.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the Picard surname can be found in the famous Domesday Book of 1086, compiled by order of William the Conqueror. Here, a landowner named Radulfus Picardus is listed as holding lands in Lincolnshire, England. This suggests that the Picard surname had already spread from its French origins to England by the late 11th century.
In the 13th century, a notable figure named Jean Picard (c. 1225-1307) served as the Grand Master of the Knights Templar from 1285 to 1307. He played a significant role in the dissolution of the Templar Order and was eventually imprisoned by the King of France.
During the 15th century, a renowned French mathematician and astronomer named Jean Picard (1620-1682) made important contributions to the field of astronomy. He is best known for his precise measurements of the Earth's size and the calculation of the length of a meridian arc.
Another prominent individual with the Picard surname was the French playwright and actor, René Picard (1636-1711). He was a member of the Comédie-Française and wrote several successful plays during his lifetime.
In the late 18th century, a French-Swiss explorer named Jacques Picard (1768-1828) became the first person to ascend to a great height in a hot air balloon. His historic flight took place in 1784, reaching an altitude of over 9,000 feet.
Throughout history, the Picard surname has also been associated with various place names in France, such as Picardville, Picauville, and Picardie. These locations likely derived their names from the Picard surname or from the broader region of Picardy.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Picard
Among Census respondents with the surname Picard, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Picard 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 Picard surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.6% · 6,387
- Hispanic or Latino4.2% · 309
- Two or more races3.6% · 268
- Black or African American2.6% · 191
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.1% · 152
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 65
Timeline
Historical Census data for Picard
Picard 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
#4,491
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,898
+219 bearers (+2.9%)
Per 100,000 2.68
Rank movement Down 220 places
2020
#4,666
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,372
-526 bearers (-6.7%)
Per 100,000 2.47
Rank movement Down 175 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,271 | 7,679 | 2.85 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,491 | 7,898 | 2.68 | +219 bearers (+2.9%) | Down 220 places |
| 2020 | #4,666 | 7,372 | 2.47 | -526 bearers (-6.7%) | Down 175 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 Picard 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 | #4,491 | #4,666 | -3.9% |
| Count | 7,898 | 7,372 | -6.7% |
| Per 100K | 2.68 | 2.47 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Picard bearers went from 7,898 to 7,372 (-6.7% change). The surname moved down 175 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,491 to #4,666.
FAQ
Picard surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Picard?
Name Census estimates that about 8,454 living Americans carry the surname Picard. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 40,543 residents.
How common is Picard?
Picard ranks #4,666 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.47 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,372 people with the surname Picard. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,454), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.47 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.47 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Picard.
Has Picard become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Picard went from 7,898 recorded bearers to 7,372. That is a decrease of 526 (-6.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,491 to #4,666.
What does the Census say about the background of Picard?
Among Census respondents with the surname Picard, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Picard in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.6% (6,387 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Picard appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.6%), Hispanic (4.2%), Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Picard (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 Picard mean?
An occupational surname referring to someone who collects pitch or tar, or a maker of picks and pickaxes. 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 Picard (2.47 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 common is the surname Picard?
Find out how common the surname Picard is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.