2000
#15,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,762
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.65
Rare Last name
Surprenant
A French surname meaning "astonishing" or "surprising".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,088 Americans carry the last name Surprenant. That puts it at #15,493 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.61 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 164,154 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Surprenant 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
2.1K
1 in 164,154
Census rank
#15,493
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,821 bearers of the surname Surprenant in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.61 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15493rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Surprenant, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Surprenant
The surname SURPRENANT is of French origin, originating in the 16th century. It is derived from the Old French word "surprendre," meaning "to surprise" or "to astonish." The name likely referred to someone who had a surprising or astonishing quality or characteristic.
The earliest recorded use of the name SURPRENANT can be traced back to the regions of Normandy and Brittany in France. It is believed to have been a descriptive surname, given to individuals who exhibited qualities or behaviors that were deemed surprising or unexpected.
One of the earliest known historical references to the name SURPRENANT can be found in the parish records of Saint-Malo, Brittany, in the late 16th century. These records mention a family with the surname SURPRENANT residing in the area during that time period.
In the 17th century, the name SURPRENANT began to appear in various French records and documents, such as census records and court proceedings. One notable individual bearing this surname was Jean SURPRENANT, a merchant from Rouen, who was born in 1632 and played a significant role in the trade between France and its colonies in the Americas.
As the SURPRENANT name spread across France, it also found its way to other parts of Europe and eventually to the Americas. In the late 17th century, a family with the surname SURPRENANT settled in the French colony of Acadia, which is now part of eastern Canada.
Another notable figure with the surname SURPRENANT was Pierre SURPRENANT, a French-Canadian explorer and fur trader who lived in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. He is known for his expeditions in the Great Lakes region and his contributions to the fur trade industry.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, the SURPRENANT surname continued to be found in various regions of France, as well as in French-speaking communities in North America. One prominent individual was François SURPRENANT, a French-Canadian politician and lawyer who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Quebec in the mid-19th century.
In the late 19th century, the SURPRENANT surname also appeared in the United States, as French-Canadian immigrants settled in New England and other parts of the country. One notable American with this surname was Adrien SURPRENANT, a successful businessman and philanthropist from Rhode Island, who lived from 1862 to 1934.
Over the centuries, the SURPRENANT surname has been associated with various occupations and professions, from merchants and traders to lawyers, politicians, and entrepreneurs. While the name may have originated as a descriptive surname, it has become a respected and well-established surname in many parts of the world.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Surprenant
Among Census respondents with the surname Surprenant, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Surprenant 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 Surprenant surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.6% · 1,686
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 65
- Two or more races3.1% · 57
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 7
- Black or African American0.3% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Surprenant
Surprenant 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
#15,456
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,895
+133 bearers (+7.5%)
Per 100,000 0.64
Rank movement Down 147 places
2020
#15,493
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,821
-74 bearers (-3.9%)
Per 100,000 0.61
Rank movement Down 37 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #15,309 | 1,762 | 0.65 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,456 | 1,895 | 0.64 | +133 bearers (+7.5%) | Down 147 places |
| 2020 | #15,493 | 1,821 | 0.61 | -74 bearers (-3.9%) | Down 37 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 Surprenant 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 | #15,456 | #15,493 | -0.2% |
| Count | 1,895 | 1,821 | -3.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.64 | 0.61 | -4.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Surprenant bearers went from 1,895 to 1,821 (-3.9% change). The surname moved down 37 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,456 to #15,493.
FAQ
Surprenant surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Surprenant?
Name Census estimates that about 2,088 living Americans carry the surname Surprenant. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 164,154 residents.
How common is Surprenant?
Surprenant ranks #15,493 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.61 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 1,821 people with the surname Surprenant. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,088), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.61 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.61 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 Surprenant.
Has Surprenant become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Surprenant went from 1,895 recorded bearers to 1,821. That is a decrease of 74 (-3.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #15,456 to #15,493.
What does the Census say about the background of Surprenant?
Among Census respondents with the surname Surprenant, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Surprenant in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.6% (1,686 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Surprenant appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.6%), Hispanic (3.6%), Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Surprenant (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 Surprenant mean?
A French surname meaning "astonishing" or "surprising". 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 Surprenant (0.61 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 share the surname Surprenant?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.