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

Théophile, 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 Théophile surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Théophile in America

Théophile is the 54864th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Théophile surname appeared 375 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Théophile.

We can also compare 2010 data for Théophile 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 Théophile

The surname "THEOPHILE" originated in ancient Greece and was derived from the Greek words "theos" meaning "God" and "philos" meaning "lover" or "friend." It was initially used as a personal name to denote someone who loved or was a friend of God.

In the early Christian era, the name gained popularity among Greek-speaking communities across the Mediterranean region, including parts of modern-day Greece, Turkey, and the Middle East. It was often bestowed upon devout individuals or those who dedicated their lives to religious pursuits.

As the name spread throughout Europe during the Middle Ages, it underwent various spelling variations, including Theophilos, Theophilus, and Theofile. These variations were influenced by local dialects and linguistic adaptations in different regions.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name "THEOPHILE" can be found in the 12th-century manuscript "The Life of St. Theophile," which recounts the story of a cleric who made a pact with the devil but was ultimately redeemed through the intercession of the Virgin Mary.

In France, the name "THEOPHILE" appeared in historical records as early as the 13th century. One notable figure was Théophile de Viau (1590-1626), a French poet and dramatist known for his controversial works and religious skepticism, which led to his imprisonment and trial for blasphemy.

Another prominent individual bearing the name was Théophile Gautier (1811-1872), a French poet, novelist, and influential art critic. He was a leading figure in the French Romantic movement and is celebrated for his vivid and sensuous descriptions of art and literature.

In the realm of philosophy, Théophile Raynaud (1587-1663) was a French Jesuit philosopher and theologian who made significant contributions to the field of moral theology and defended the doctrine of probabilism.

Moving to the realm of science, Théophile-Jules Pelouze (1807-1867) was a French chemist best known for his work on organic chemistry and the development of several analytical techniques, including the Pelouze tube for the determination of nitrogen.

Finally, in the field of music, Théophile Semet (1778-1857) was a French composer and violinist who served as the musical director of the Paris Opéra and composed several operas and ballets that were popular in his time.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Théophile

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!