2000
#12,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,337
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.87
Rare Last name
Robichaux
A French occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of robes, derived from "robe" meaning "dress".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,832 Americans carry the last name Robichaux. That puts it at #12,058 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.83 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 121,029 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Robichaux 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
2.8K
1 in 121,029
Census rank
#12,058
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,470 bearers of the surname Robichaux in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.83 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12058th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Robichaux, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.7%. The next largest groups are Black (5.6%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Robichaux
The surname Robichaux has its origins in France, tracing back to the 17th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old French words "robe" and "chaux," which translates to "lime jacket" or "lime coat." This suggests that the name may have been associated with occupations or trades related to lime production or processing.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Robichaux can be found in the parish records of Poitou, a former province in western France, dating back to the late 1600s. The spelling variations during that time included Robichau, Robichault, and Robichaux.
As France expanded its colonial reach in North America, the name Robichaux began to appear in various historical records of French settlements, particularly in the regions of Acadia (present-day Canadian Maritimes) and Louisiana. Some notable individuals bearing this surname include:
1. Jean-Baptiste Robichaux (c. 1680-1760), one of the first settlers of the Acadian region, who later relocated to Louisiana after the expulsion of the Acadians.
2. Jacques Robichaux (1720-1795), a prominent landowner and farmer in the Attakapas region of Louisiana, known for his contributions to the early development of the area.
3. Ambroise Robichaux (1788-1862), a businessman and plantation owner in St. James Parish, Louisiana, who played a significant role in the local economy.
4. Marie-Thérèse Robichaux (1832-1901), a renowned educator and founder of several schools in Louisiana, dedicated to providing education to children of all backgrounds.
5. Émile Robichaux (1866-1944), a businessman and political figure who served as the mayor of New Orleans from 1900 to 1904, known for his efforts in modernizing the city's infrastructure.
The name Robichaux has also been associated with various place names in Louisiana, such as the Robichaux Bayou and the community of Robichaux, reflecting the lasting impact of this family on the region's history and culture.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Robichaux
Among Census respondents with the surname Robichaux, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.7%. The next largest groups are Black (5.6%) and Two or More Races (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Robichaux 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 Robichaux surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.7% · 2,167
- Black or African American5.6% · 138
- Two or more races2.7% · 67
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 65
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 17
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 16
Timeline
Historical Census data for Robichaux
Robichaux 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
#12,560
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,465
+128 bearers (+5.5%)
Per 100,000 0.84
Rank movement Down 339 places
2020
#12,058
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,470
+5 bearers (+0.2%)
Per 100,000 0.83
Rank movement Up 502 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,221 | 2,337 | 0.87 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,560 | 2,465 | 0.84 | +128 bearers (+5.5%) | Down 339 places |
| 2020 | #12,058 | 2,470 | 0.83 | +5 bearers (+0.2%) | Up 502 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 Robichaux 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 | #12,560 | #12,058 | 4.0% |
| Count | 2,465 | 2,470 | 0.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.84 | 0.83 | -1.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Robichaux bearers went from 2,465 to 2,470 (+0.2% change). The surname moved up 502 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,560 to #12,058.
FAQ
Robichaux surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Robichaux?
Name Census estimates that about 2,832 living Americans carry the surname Robichaux. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 121,029 residents.
How common is Robichaux?
Robichaux ranks #12,058 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.83 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 2,470 people with the surname Robichaux. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,832), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.83 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.83 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 Robichaux.
Has Robichaux become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Robichaux went from 2,465 recorded bearers to 2,470. That is an increase of 5 (+0.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #12,560 to #12,058.
What does the Census say about the background of Robichaux?
Among Census respondents with the surname Robichaux, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.7%. The next largest groups are Black (5.6%) and Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Robichaux in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.7% (2,167 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Robichaux appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.7%), Black (5.6%), Two or More Races (2.7%). 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 Robichaux (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 Robichaux mean?
A French occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of robes, derived from "robe" meaning "dress". 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 Robichaux (0.83 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 common is the surname Robichaux?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Robichaux is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.