2000
#9,598
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,107
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.15
Rare Last name
Robichaud
French occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of robes, derived from the Old French "robe".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,389 Americans carry the last name Robichaud. That puts it at #10,368 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.99 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 101,137 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Robichaud 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
3.4K
1 in 101,137
Census rank
#10,368
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,955 bearers of the surname Robichaud in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.99 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10368th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Robichaud, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Robichaud
The surname Robichaud originated in France, specifically in the northwestern region known as Normandy. It is believed to have emerged sometime between the 11th and 13th centuries, during the early medieval period. The name is derived from the Old French words "robe" and "chaud," which together mean "warm coat" or "hot robe."
One of the earliest known references to the name Robichaud can be found in a 13th-century manuscript from the Rouen area, where a person named Guilleaume Robichaud was mentioned as a landowner in the village of Saint-Martin-de-Boscherville. This suggests that the name was already established in Normandy by that time.
In the 14th century, records show a Jehan Robichaud who served as a soldier in the Hundred Years' War between England and France. He was born around 1320 in Caen, Normandy, and is believed to have fought alongside the French forces during the Battle of Crécy in 1346.
During the 16th century, the Robichaud family spread to other parts of France, including Brittany and Poitou. One notable individual from this era was Pierre Robichaud, a merchant born in Nantes, Brittany, in 1542. He established trade routes between France and the French colonies in the Americas, particularly in what is now Canada.
In the 17th century, several members of the Robichaud family immigrated to Acadia, a French colony in present-day eastern Canada. One of the earliest settlers was René Robichaud, who was born in 1636 in La Rochelle, France, and arrived in Acadia around 1657. He is considered one of the founding families of the Acadian community.
Another notable Robichaud from the 17th century was Marie Robichaud, born in 1670 in Port-Royal, Acadia (now Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia). She became a prominent figure in the Acadian resistance against British rule after the conquest of Acadia in 1710. Marie Robichaud played a crucial role in organizing and leading a group of Acadian refugees who sought refuge in French-controlled territories.
In the 18th century, many Acadians, including those with the surname Robichaud, were forcibly deported from their homeland by the British during the Great Expulsion of 1755-1763. This event, known as the Acadian Expulsion or the Great Upheaval, scattered the Acadian population across various regions, including Louisiana, where they became known as Cajuns.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Robichaud
Among Census respondents with the surname Robichaud, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Robichaud 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 Robichaud surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.5% · 2,734
- Two or more races3.8% · 111
- Hispanic or Latino2.2% · 66
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 27
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 10
- Black or African American0.2% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Robichaud
Robichaud 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
#10,306
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,126
+19 bearers (+0.6%)
Per 100,000 1.06
Rank movement Down 708 places
2020
#10,368
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,955
-171 bearers (-5.5%)
Per 100,000 0.99
Rank movement Down 62 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,598 | 3,107 | 1.15 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,306 | 3,126 | 1.06 | +19 bearers (+0.6%) | Down 708 places |
| 2020 | #10,368 | 2,955 | 0.99 | -171 bearers (-5.5%) | Down 62 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 Robichaud 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 | #10,306 | #10,368 | -0.6% |
| Count | 3,126 | 2,955 | -5.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.06 | 0.99 | -6.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Robichaud bearers went from 3,126 to 2,955 (-5.5% change). The surname moved down 62 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,306 to #10,368.
FAQ
Robichaud surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Robichaud?
Name Census estimates that about 3,389 living Americans carry the surname Robichaud. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 101,137 residents.
How common is Robichaud?
Robichaud ranks #10,368 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.99 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 2,955 people with the surname Robichaud. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,389), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.99 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.99 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 Robichaud.
Has Robichaud become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Robichaud went from 3,126 recorded bearers to 2,955. That is a decrease of 171 (-5.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,306 to #10,368.
What does the Census say about the background of Robichaud?
Among Census respondents with the surname Robichaud, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (2.2%). 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 Robichaud in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.5% (2,734 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Robichaud appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.5%), Two or More Races (3.8%), Hispanic (2.2%). 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 Robichaud (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 Robichaud mean?
French occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of robes, derived from the Old French "robe". 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 Robichaud (0.99 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 Robichaud?
Want to know how common the surname Robichaud is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.