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

Picou, 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 Picou surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Picou in America

Picou is the 14933rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Picou surname appeared 1,982 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Picou.

We can also compare 2010 data for Picou 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 Picou

The surname Picou is of French origin, tracing its roots back to the Normandy region of northern France during the medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Old French word "pic," meaning "peak" or "pointed," possibly referring to a person who resided near a geographical feature such as a hill or mountain with a distinctive peak.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Livre Pelut, a census of the residents of Normandy conducted in 1195. The document lists several individuals with variations of the surname, including Picoud, Picout, and Picou. This suggests that the name was already well-established in the region by the late 12th century.

During the Middle Ages, the Picou family appears to have been concentrated in the area around the town of Bayeux, located in the Calvados department of Normandy. Several historic records, such as the Cartulaire de Bayeux, a collection of charters and deeds from the 11th to 13th centuries, mention individuals bearing the Picou name who held positions of importance in the local community.

As the Picou surname spread beyond Normandy, it diversified into various spellings, including Picault, Picaud, and Picault-Picou. One notable figure was Guillaume Picault (c. 1440-1516), a French jurist and legal scholar who served as the President of the Parlement of Paris, one of the highest judicial positions in the Kingdom of France at the time.

In the 17th century, the Picou name gained prominence in the world of French literature with the birth of Philippe Picou (1642-1707), a poet and member of the Académie Française, the prestigious French scholarly institution. His works, which included odes, sonnets, and translations of classical texts, were widely celebrated during his lifetime.

Another figure of historical significance was Jean-Baptiste Picou (1762-1840), a French military officer who rose to the rank of General during the Napoleonic Wars. He distinguished himself in several crucial battles, including the Battle of Waterloo in 1815, where he commanded a division of the French army.

As the Picou family expanded across Europe and beyond, the name continued to leave its mark in various fields. For instance, Émile Picou (1855-1924) was a renowned French sculptor whose works adorned public spaces and monuments throughout Paris and other major cities in France.

These examples illustrate the rich history and legacy of the Picou surname, which has been carried by individuals who have made significant contributions to the arts, sciences, law, and military endeavors over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Picou

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

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

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Picou, 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!