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

Rances, 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 Rances surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Rances in America

Rances is the 106096th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Rances surname appeared 168 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 Rances.

We can also compare 2010 data for Rances 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 Rances

The surname Rances is believed to have originated in France, potentially during the Middle Ages. It is likely derived from the French word "rance," which means "rancid" or "stale." This connection suggests that the name could have been a descriptive nickname or occupational name for someone involved in the production or handling of oils or foodstuffs that may have gone rancid.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Rances can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of landowners and their estates in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. The entry mentions a landowner named Rancelinus de Rances, suggesting that the name may have been established in England by Norman settlers following the conquest in 1066.

During the 13th century, the surname Rances appeared in various records across France, including a mention of a Guillaume de Rances in the Cartulaire de Notre-Dame de Chartres in 1220. This document was a collection of charters and deeds related to the Cathedral of Notre-Dame in Chartres, indicating that the Rances family may have had connections to the region.

In the 14th century, a notable figure named Jean de Rances (1313-1382) was a French nobleman and military commander who served under King John II of France during the Hundred Years' War against England. He played a significant role in several battles, including the Battle of Poitiers in 1356, where he was captured by the English.

Another notable individual with the surname Rances was Armand Jean le Bouthillier de Rancé (1626-1700), a French nobleman and influential monastic reformer. He founded the reformed branch of the Cistercian Order known as the Trappists and is considered a key figure in the revival of monastic life in the 17th century.

In the 18th century, a French botanist named Louis-Marie-Joseph-Olivier Rances (1770-1827) made significant contributions to the study of plant taxonomy and classification. He worked as a curator at the Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle in Paris and authored several works on botany.

While the surname Rances is not among the most common surnames globally, it has a rich history rooted in various regions of France and has been carried by notable individuals throughout the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Rances

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

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

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