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

Rousseau, 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 Rousseau surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Rousseau in America

Rousseau is the 4297th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Rousseau surname appeared 8,270 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Rousseau.

We can also compare 2010 data for Rousseau 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 Rousseau

The surname ROUSSEAU is of French origin and can be traced back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old French word "rous," meaning red-haired or russet-colored. This nickname likely referred to a person with reddish hair or complexion.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname ROUSSEAU can be found in medieval records and documents from the 12th and 13th centuries in various regions of France, particularly in the northern and central parts of the country. Some variations in spelling included Roussel, Rousselet, and Roussillon.

One of the earliest known bearers of the ROUSSEAU name was Jean Rousseau, a 13th-century French poet and trouvère (composer of secular monophonic songs) from the Champagne region. He is best known for his love songs and pastourelles (songs about shepherds and shepherdesses).

In the 14th century, the ROUSSEAU surname appeared in the historical record "Dictionnaire étymologique des noms de famille" by Albert Dauzat, which documented the origins and meanings of French surnames.

During the Renaissance period, a notable figure with the ROUSSEAU surname was Jacques Rousseau (1605-1684), a French architect and engineer who worked on several prominent buildings in Paris, including the Louvre Palace and the Church of Val-de-Grâce.

One of the most famous bearers of the ROUSSEAU name was Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778), a Genevan philosopher, writer, and composer who influenced the French Revolution and the development of modern political and educational thought with his works such as "The Social Contract" and "Emile, or On Education."

Another prominent individual with the ROUSSEAU surname was Jean-Baptiste Rousseau (1670-1741), a French poet and dramatist who was considered one of the greatest lyric poets of his time and is known for his epigrams, odes, and satires.

In the 19th century, Henri Rousseau (1844-1910), also known as "Le Douanier Rousseau" (The Customs Officer Rousseau), was a French Post-Impressionist painter who became famous for his naive or primitive style of painting and depictions of lush jungles and exotic scenes.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Rousseau

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

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

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

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