2000
#8,068
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,787
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.40
Rare Last name
Rondeau
A French topographic surname referring to someone living near a small round hill or mound.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,344 Americans carry the last name Rondeau. That puts it at #8,367 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.27 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 78,903 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rondeau 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
4.3K
1 in 78,903
Census rank
#8,367
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,788 bearers of the surname Rondeau in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.27 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8367th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rondeau, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and Hispanic (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rondeau
The surname Rondeau has its roots in France, originating in the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old French word "rondeau," which means a small round object or a short poem with a repeating refrain.
In medieval France, the term "rondeau" was often used to refer to a small circular shield or a particular poetic form. It is possible that the surname Rondeau was initially bestowed upon a poet, a shield-maker, or someone associated with these crafts.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Rondeau can be found in the Calendars of the Greffe of the Parlement of Paris, dated around 1292, which mentions a certain "Robertus Rondeau."
Another notable early reference to the surname Rondeau appears in the Rolls of the Parlement of Paris from 1312, where a "Johannes Rondeau" is mentioned.
In the 14th century, a French poet named Jean Rondeau gained recognition for his contributions to the rondeau poetic form. He is believed to have lived between 1300 and 1370, though exact dates are uncertain.
During the Renaissance period, a French composer named Guillaume Rondeau (c. 1460-1530) achieved fame for his compositions in the rondeau style.
In the 17th century, a French mathematician and philosopher named François Rondeau (1612-1686) made significant contributions to the fields of mathematics and philosophy.
Another notable figure was Pierre Rondeau (1671-1737), a French architect and engineer who designed several notable buildings in Paris, including the Palais de l'Élysée.
In the 19th century, a French painter named Auguste Rondeau (1822-1891) gained recognition for his landscape paintings and scenes of everyday life.
The surname Rondeau has also been found in various place names throughout France, such as Rondeau-sur-Orne, a commune in the Calvados department, and Rondeau, a hamlet in the Eure department.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rondeau
Among Census respondents with the surname Rondeau, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and Hispanic (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Rondeau 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 Rondeau surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.4% · 3,271
- Two or more races4.4% · 167
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 126
- Black or African American3.2% · 121
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.0% · 74
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 29
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rondeau
Rondeau 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
#8,475
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,894
+107 bearers (+2.8%)
Per 100,000 1.32
Rank movement Down 407 places
2020
#8,367
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,788
-106 bearers (-2.7%)
Per 100,000 1.27
Rank movement Up 108 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,068 | 3,787 | 1.40 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,475 | 3,894 | 1.32 | +107 bearers (+2.8%) | Down 407 places |
| 2020 | #8,367 | 3,788 | 1.27 | -106 bearers (-2.7%) | Up 108 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 Rondeau 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 | #8,475 | #8,367 | 1.3% |
| Count | 3,894 | 3,788 | -2.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.32 | 1.27 | -4.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rondeau bearers went from 3,894 to 3,788 (-2.7% change). The surname moved up 108 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,475 to #8,367.
FAQ
Rondeau surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rondeau?
Name Census estimates that about 4,344 living Americans carry the surname Rondeau. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 78,903 residents.
How common is Rondeau?
Rondeau ranks #8,367 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.27 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 3,788 people with the surname Rondeau. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,344), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.27 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.27 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 Rondeau.
Has Rondeau become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rondeau went from 3,894 recorded bearers to 3,788. That is a decrease of 106 (-2.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #8,475 to #8,367.
What does the Census say about the background of Rondeau?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rondeau, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.4%) and Hispanic (3.3%). 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 Rondeau in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.4% (3,271 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rondeau appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.4%), Two or More Races (4.4%), Hispanic (3.3%). 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 Rondeau (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 Rondeau mean?
A French topographic surname referring to someone living near a small round hill or mound. 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 Rondeau (1.27 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 have the surname Rondeau?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.