2000
#14,236
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,934
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.72
Rare Last name
Primeaux
A French toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "first waters" or "first springs."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,057 Americans carry the last name Primeaux. That puts it at #15,671 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.60 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 166,628 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Primeaux 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
2.1K
1 in 166,628
Census rank
#15,671
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,794 bearers of the surname Primeaux in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.60 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15671st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Primeaux, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.2%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (8.8%) and Hispanic (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Primeaux
The surname Primeaux has its origins in France, with the earliest records dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old French word "primault," which means "the first born." This name was likely given to families with firstborn sons, indicating the importance placed on birth order in that era.
One of the earliest known references to the surname Primeaux can be found in the Livre Terrier de la Baronnie de Châteauneuf, a historical document from 1292 that recorded land holdings in the region of Châteauneuf, Normandy. The name appeared as "Primault," which was a common spelling variation at the time.
In the 14th century, the surname Primeaux began to appear in various records throughout northern France, particularly in the regions of Normandy and Brittany. One notable individual from this period was Guillaume Primeaux, a merchant from Rouen who was involved in the lucrative wool trade between France and England.
During the 16th century, the surname Primeaux spread further across France, with records indicating families bearing this name in regions such as Poitou and Anjou. One notable figure from this era was Jean Primeaux, a Protestant philosopher and theologian born in 1540 in La Rochelle, who played a significant role in the French Reformation.
As the centuries progressed, the surname Primeaux continued to be found throughout France, with occasional variations in spelling, such as Primault, Primaux, or Primeau. In the 18th century, a prominent individual named Jacques Primeaux (1725-1798) became a successful merchant and landowner in the city of Bordeaux.
While the surname Primeaux has its roots in France, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through migration and colonization. In the 19th century, several families bearing the name Primeaux settled in various parts of North America, including Canada and the United States.
One notable figure from this period was Joseph Primeaux (1830-1912), a French-Canadian settler who established a successful farming community in the Red River Valley of Manitoba, Canada. Another individual of note was Émile Primeaux (1858-1938), a French-American architect who designed several notable buildings in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Primeaux
Among Census respondents with the surname Primeaux, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.2%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (8.8%) and Hispanic (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Primeaux 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 Primeaux surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.2% · 1,457
- American Indian and Alaska Native8.8% · 157
- Hispanic or Latino4.8% · 86
- Two or more races2.6% · 47
- Black or African American2.5% · 45
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Primeaux
Primeaux 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
#14,025
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,148
+214 bearers (+11.1%)
Per 100,000 0.73
Rank movement Up 211 places
2020
#15,671
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,794
-354 bearers (-16.5%)
Per 100,000 0.60
Rank movement Down 1,646 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,236 | 1,934 | 0.72 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,025 | 2,148 | 0.73 | +214 bearers (+11.1%) | Up 211 places |
| 2020 | #15,671 | 1,794 | 0.60 | -354 bearers (-16.5%) | Down 1,646 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 Primeaux 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 | #14,025 | #15,671 | -11.7% |
| Count | 2,148 | 1,794 | -16.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.73 | 0.60 | -17.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Primeaux bearers went from 2,148 to 1,794 (-16.5% change). The surname moved down 1,646 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,025 to #15,671.
FAQ
Primeaux surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Primeaux?
Name Census estimates that about 2,057 living Americans carry the surname Primeaux. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 166,628 residents.
How common is Primeaux?
Primeaux ranks #15,671 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.60 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,794 people with the surname Primeaux. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,057), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.6 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.60 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Primeaux.
Has Primeaux become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Primeaux went from 2,148 recorded bearers to 1,794. That is a decrease of 354 (-16.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,025 to #15,671.
What does the Census say about the background of Primeaux?
Among Census respondents with the surname Primeaux, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.2%. The next largest groups are American Indian/Alaska Native (8.8%) and Hispanic (4.8%). 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 Primeaux in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.2% (1,457 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Primeaux appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.2%), American Indian/Alaska Native (8.8%), Hispanic (4.8%). 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 Primeaux (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 Primeaux mean?
A French toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "first waters" or "first springs." 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 Primeaux (0.60 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 are called Primeaux?
Find out how many people have the last name Primeaux on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.