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

Rameau, 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 Rameau surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Rameau in America

Rameau is the 46138th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Rameau surname appeared 462 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Rameau.

We can also compare 2010 data for Rameau 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 Rameau

The surname Rameau originated in France during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old French word "rameau" meaning branch or bough, suggesting that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived near a prominent tree or grove.

One of the earliest records of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Ramel" in the county of Lincolnshire, England. This suggests that the name may have been carried to England by Norman settlers following the Conquest in 1066.

In the 12th century, the name is recorded as "Rameau" in the cartulary of the Abbey of Saint-Père en Vallée in Chartres, France. This document dates back to 1145 and mentions a landowner named Gervais Rameau.

The surname Rameau became particularly prevalent in the regions of Île-de-France, Normandy, and Brittany during the Middle Ages. It was often associated with families involved in forestry or woodworking trades.

One notable bearer of the name was Jean-Philippe Rameau (1683-1764), a French composer and music theorist who is considered one of the leading figures of the French Baroque era. His seminal work, "Treatise on Harmony," had a profound influence on the development of Western music theory.

Another famous Rameau was Claude Rameau (1590-1662), a French architect who designed several notable buildings in Paris, including the Church of Saint-Sulpice and parts of the Louvre Palace.

In the 17th century, the name appears in the records of the French colony of Acadia (present-day Maritime provinces of Canada), where a family by the name of Rameau settled in the 1630s.

Other notable individuals with the surname Rameau include Jean-Baptiste Rameau (1792-1856), a French historian and author, and Pierre Rameau (1674-1748), a French sculptor who worked on the decorations of the Palace of Versailles.

Throughout its history, the surname Rameau has maintained a strong presence in France, as well as in regions with significant French cultural influence, such as parts of Canada and the United States.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Rameau

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

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

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Rameau, please contact us.

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