2000
#5,612
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,671
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.10
Rare Last name
Theriault
A French occupational surname referring to a reaper or harvester of cereal crops.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,298 Americans carry the last name Theriault. That puts it at #6,022 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.84 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 54,423 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Theriault 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
6.3K
1 in 54,423
Census rank
#6,022
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,492 bearers of the surname Theriault in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.84 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6022nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Theriault, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Theriault
The surname Theriault has its origins in France, tracing back to the late medieval period. It is derived from the Old French word 'theor', meaning thresher or harvester, and the suffix '-iault', indicating a profession or status. This suggests that the name was initially given to someone who worked as a thresher or harvester of crops.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in various French documents from the 13th and 14th centuries, often appearing as 'Theriaud' or 'Theriaut'. These variations in spelling were common during that time, as orthography was not yet standardized.
One notable historical reference to the name is in the "Cartulaire de l'Abbaye de Saint-Étienne de Vignory" from the 13th century, which mentions a certain 'Jehan Theriault' as a landowner in the region of Champagne.
In the 15th century, the name appears in the "Registres de la Chambre des Comptes de Bretagne" in connection with a family from the town of Ploërmel in Brittany. This suggests that the name had spread to different regions of France by that time.
Throughout the centuries, several individuals with the surname Theriault have left their mark in various fields. One of the earliest recorded was Jacques Theriault (1550-1625), a French poet and playwright from Rouen, known for his works inspired by classical mythology.
Another notable figure was Marie-Anne Theriault (1670-1738), a French-Canadian settler who was one of the first European women to give birth in the colony of Acadia (now Nova Scotia and parts of New Brunswick).
In the 19th century, Jean-Baptiste Theriault (1801-1879) was a prominent French-Canadian politician and lawyer who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada.
The name also found its way into the arts, with Louise Theriault (1860-1925), a French painter and sculptor who was part of the Impressionist movement and exhibited her works at the Paris Salon.
Lastly, Gustave Theriault (1890-1968) was a Canadian-American inventor and engineer who held numerous patents, including one for the first successful electric heating pad.
These are just a few examples of the diverse individuals who have borne the surname Theriault throughout history, reflecting its French origins and its journey across different regions and professions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Theriault
Among Census respondents with the surname Theriault, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Theriault 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 Theriault surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.1% · 5,001
- Two or more races4.0% · 220
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 196
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 41
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 18
- Black or African American0.3% · 16
Timeline
Historical Census data for Theriault
Theriault 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
#5,894
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,855
+184 bearers (+3.2%)
Per 100,000 1.98
Rank movement Down 282 places
2020
#6,022
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,492
-363 bearers (-6.2%)
Per 100,000 1.84
Rank movement Down 128 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,612 | 5,671 | 2.10 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,894 | 5,855 | 1.98 | +184 bearers (+3.2%) | Down 282 places |
| 2020 | #6,022 | 5,492 | 1.84 | -363 bearers (-6.2%) | Down 128 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 Theriault 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 | #5,894 | #6,022 | -2.2% |
| Count | 5,855 | 5,492 | -6.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.98 | 1.84 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Theriault bearers went from 5,855 to 5,492 (-6.2% change). The surname moved down 128 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,894 to #6,022.
FAQ
Theriault surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Theriault?
Name Census estimates that about 6,298 living Americans carry the surname Theriault. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 54,423 residents.
How common is Theriault?
Theriault ranks #6,022 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.84 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,492 people with the surname Theriault. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,298), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.84 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.84 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Theriault.
Has Theriault become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Theriault went from 5,855 recorded bearers to 5,492. That is a decrease of 363 (-6.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,894 to #6,022.
What does the Census say about the background of Theriault?
Among Census respondents with the surname Theriault, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.0%) and Hispanic (3.6%). 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 Theriault in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.1% (5,001 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Theriault appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.1%), Two or More Races (4.0%), Hispanic (3.6%). 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 Theriault (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 Theriault mean?
A French occupational surname referring to a reaper or harvester of cereal crops. 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 Theriault (1.84 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 Theriault?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.