2000
#8,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,456
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.28
Rare Last name
Pierrelouis
A French surname combining the given names Pierre and Louis, likely indicating ancestral or religious significance.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,583 Americans carry the last name Pierrelouis. That puts it at #5,121 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.21 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 45,200 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pierrelouis 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
7.6K
1 in 45,200
Census rank
#5,121
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,613 bearers of the surname Pierrelouis in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.21 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5121st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pierrelouis, the largest self-reported group is Black at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pierrelouis
The surname PIERRELOUIS has its origins in France, dating back to the early 18th century. It is a combination of the French words "pierre," meaning "stone," and "louis," a French masculine name derived from the Old Frankish name "Hlodovicus."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the PIERRELOUIS name can be found in the parish records of the village of Villefranche-sur-Saône, near Lyon, France, where a family bearing this surname resided in the mid-1700s. The name may have originally referred to someone who lived near a stone or rock formation named "Louis," or it could have been a descriptive surname for a person with a strong or sturdy build, likened to a stone.
In the late 18th century, during the French Revolution, a notable figure named Pierre-Louis Roederer (1754-1835) emerged as a prominent politician and statesman. He served as a member of the National Convention and later became a close advisor to Napoleon Bonaparte.
Another historical figure bearing the PIERRELOUIS name was Pierre-Louis Dulong (1785-1838), a French physicist and chemist known for his contributions to the study of heat and the formulation of Dulong-Petit law, which relates the atomic heat capacities of elements to their atomic weights.
In the realm of literature, Pierre-Louis Ginguené (1748-1816) was a French writer, historian, and critic who authored several works on Italian literature and served as the director of the French National Library.
Moving into the 19th century, Pierre-Louis Rouillard (1820-1881) was a French painter and illustrator known for his depictions of rural life and landscapes. His works were exhibited at the Paris Salon and are held in several prestigious art collections.
Another notable bearer of the PIERRELOUIS name was Pierre-Louis Chappuis (1827-1890), a Swiss engineer and inventor who made significant contributions to the development of hydraulic machinery and turbines used in hydroelectric power generation.
While the PIERRELOUIS surname may not be as widely prevalent as some others, its rich history and notable bearers have left an indelible mark across various fields, from politics and science to art and engineering, showcasing the diverse backgrounds and accomplishments associated with this name of French origin.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pierrelouis
Among Census respondents with the surname Pierrelouis, the largest self-reported group is Black at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Pierrelouis 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 Pierrelouis surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American91.9% · 6,075
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 240
- Two or more races2.4% · 161
- White1.7% · 114
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 21
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pierrelouis
Pierrelouis 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
#6,070
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,653
+2,197 bearers (+63.6%)
Per 100,000 1.92
Rank movement Up 2,687 places
2020
#5,121
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,613
+960 bearers (+17.0%)
Per 100,000 2.21
Rank movement Up 949 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,757 | 3,456 | 1.28 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,070 | 5,653 | 1.92 | +2,197 bearers (+63.6%) | Up 2,687 places |
| 2020 | #5,121 | 6,613 | 2.21 | +960 bearers (+17.0%) | Up 949 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 Pierrelouis 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 | #6,070 | #5,121 | 15.6% |
| Count | 5,653 | 6,613 | 17.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.92 | 2.21 | 15.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pierrelouis bearers went from 5,653 to 6,613 (+17.0% change). The surname moved up 949 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,070 to #5,121.
FAQ
Pierrelouis surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pierrelouis?
Name Census estimates that about 7,583 living Americans carry the surname Pierrelouis. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 45,200 residents.
How common is Pierrelouis?
Pierrelouis ranks #5,121 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.21 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 6,613 people with the surname Pierrelouis. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,583), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.21 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.21 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 Pierrelouis.
Has Pierrelouis become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pierrelouis went from 5,653 recorded bearers to 6,613. That is an increase of 960 (+17.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #6,070 to #5,121.
What does the Census say about the background of Pierrelouis?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pierrelouis, the largest self-reported group is Black at 91.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Pierrelouis in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.9% (6,075 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pierrelouis appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (91.9%), Hispanic (3.6%), 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 Pierrelouis (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 Pierrelouis mean?
A French surname combining the given names Pierre and Louis, likely indicating ancestral or religious significance. 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 Pierrelouis (2.21 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 Pierrelouis?
You can see how many people have the surname Pierrelouis on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.