2010
#144,141
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Salembier
A French surname derived from a habitational name for someone from Salembier, France.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 120 Americans carry the last name Salembier. That puts it at #152,989 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,856,286 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Salembier 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
120
1 in 2,856,286
Census rank
#152,989
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
105
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 105 bearers of the surname Salembier in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152989th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Salembier, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
Origin
Meaning and origin of Salembier
The surname Salembier originated in the French region of Flanders, located in the northwest of the country. It first appeared in historical records during the 13th century and is believed to have derived from the Old Dutch word 'saelembeir', which translates to 'salt pear'. This was likely a reference to the pear-shaped containers used for transporting salt, a valuable commodity at the time.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the Salembier name can be found in the archives of the city of Lille, dating back to 1278. In these documents, a certain Baudouin Salembier is listed as a merchant involved in the salt trade. This suggests that the name may have originated as an occupational surname for individuals involved in the production or transportation of salt.
During the 14th and 15th centuries, the Salembier family established itself as a prominent one in the region of Flanders. Several members of the family held influential positions within the local government and trade guilds. Of particular note is Jean Salembier, who served as the mayor of Lille from 1412 to 1418, during a turbulent period marked by conflicts between the city and the Duke of Burgundy.
In the 16th century, the Salembier name began to spread beyond the borders of Flanders, as members of the family migrated to other parts of Europe. One notable figure from this era is Pierre Salembier, a Flemish painter who lived from 1540 to 1610. His works, which included religious scenes and portraits, can still be found in various museums and churches across Belgium and the Netherlands.
As the centuries passed, the Salembier name continued to be associated with various notable individuals. In the 18th century, for instance, there was François Salembier, a French mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the calculation of planetary orbits. He was born in 1714 and died in 1786.
Another prominent individual with the Salembier surname was Marie-Louise Salembier, a Belgian author and feminist activist who lived from 1879 to 1954. She was a vocal advocate for women's rights and played a crucial role in the fight for female suffrage in Belgium.
While the Salembier name has its roots in the French region of Flanders, it has since spread to various parts of the world, carried by members of the family who immigrated to different countries over the centuries. However, the name's origins can be traced back to the salt trade that once flourished in the region, and the unique containers used for transporting this precious commodity.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Salembier
Among Census respondents with the surname Salembier, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%.
The bar chart below shows how Salembier 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 Salembier surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White100.0% · 105
Timeline
Historical Census data for Salembier
Salembier appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#152,989
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
-10 bearers (-8.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 8,848 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #144,141 | 115 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #152,989 | 105 | 0.04 | -10 bearers (-8.7%) | Down 8,848 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 Salembier 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 | #144,141 | #152,989 | -6.1% |
| Count | 115 | 105 | -8.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -12.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Salembier bearers went from 115 to 105 (-8.7% change). The surname moved down 8,848 positions in the national ranking, going from #144,141 to #152,989.
FAQ
Salembier surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Salembier?
Name Census estimates that about 120 living Americans carry the surname Salembier. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,856,286 residents.
How common is Salembier?
Salembier ranks #152,989 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 105 people with the surname Salembier. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (120), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Salembier.
Has Salembier become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Salembier went from 115 recorded bearers to 105. That is a decrease of 10 (-8.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #144,141 to #152,989.
What does the Census say about the background of Salembier?
Among Census respondents with the surname Salembier, the largest self-reported group is White at 100.0%. 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 Salembier in the 2020 Census, accounting for 100.0% (105 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Salembier appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (100.0%). 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 Salembier (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 Salembier mean?
A French surname derived from a habitational name for someone from Salembier, France. 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 Salembier (0.04 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 Salembier?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.