2000
#5,379
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,959
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.21
Rare Last name
Theriot
A French occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of wine casks or barrels.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,019 Americans carry the last name Theriot. That puts it at #5,484 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.05 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 48,832 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Theriot 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
7.0K
1 in 48,832
Census rank
#5,484
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,121 bearers of the surname Theriot in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.05 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5484th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Theriot, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.8%. The next largest groups are Black (5.2%) and Hispanic (4.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Theriot
The surname Theriot has its origins in France, tracing back to the early 17th century. It is believed to have derived from the French word "theriot," which referred to a small landowner or a tenant farmer. This name was particularly prevalent in the regions of Poitou and Normandy.
One of the earliest documented references to the name Theriot can be found in the records of the Parish of Saint-Martin-de-Ré, an island off the west coast of France, where a Jacques Theriot was recorded in 1640. The name also appears in various other historical records from the 17th and 18th centuries in the region.
During the French colonization of Acadia (present-day Canadian Maritimes), several families bearing the surname Theriot were among the earliest settlers. One notable figure was Pierre Theriot, who was born in 1685 and settled in Port-Royal, Acadia. His descendants later migrated to Louisiana after the Great Expulsion of the Acadians in 1755.
In Louisiana, the Theriot family played a significant role in the development of the Acadiana region, which is known for its rich Cajun culture. One of the most prominent members of the family was Louis Theriot, born in 1795, who served as a member of the Louisiana House of Representatives and was instrumental in establishing the first public school system in the state.
Another notable figure with the surname Theriot was Jean-Baptiste Theriot, born in 1825 in Louisiana. He was a prominent farmer and landowner who played a crucial role in preserving the Cajun language and traditions in the region.
During the 19th century, the Theriot family also had members who migrated to other parts of the United States, including Texas and California. One such individual was Emile Theriot, born in 1850 in Louisiana, who became a successful businessman and landowner in California, contributing to the development of the state's agricultural industry.
Throughout history, the Theriot surname has been associated with various place names and variations in spelling, such as Thériault, Thérieau, and Thériau, reflecting the regional dialects and linguistic influences of the areas where the name was prevalent.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Theriot
Among Census respondents with the surname Theriot, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.8%. The next largest groups are Black (5.2%) and Hispanic (4.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Theriot 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 Theriot surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.8% · 5,313
- Black or African American5.2% · 316
- Hispanic or Latino4.7% · 285
- Two or more races2.4% · 147
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 34
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 26
Timeline
Historical Census data for Theriot
Theriot 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
#5,418
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,424
+465 bearers (+7.8%)
Per 100,000 2.18
Rank movement Down 39 places
2020
#5,484
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,121
-303 bearers (-4.7%)
Per 100,000 2.05
Rank movement Down 66 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,379 | 5,959 | 2.21 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,418 | 6,424 | 2.18 | +465 bearers (+7.8%) | Down 39 places |
| 2020 | #5,484 | 6,121 | 2.05 | -303 bearers (-4.7%) | Down 66 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 Theriot 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 | #5,418 | #5,484 | -1.2% |
| Count | 6,424 | 6,121 | -4.7% |
| Per 100K | 2.18 | 2.05 | -6.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Theriot bearers went from 6,424 to 6,121 (-4.7% change). The surname moved down 66 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,418 to #5,484.
FAQ
Theriot surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Theriot?
Name Census estimates that about 7,019 living Americans carry the surname Theriot. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 48,832 residents.
How common is Theriot?
Theriot ranks #5,484 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.05 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 6,121 people with the surname Theriot. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,019), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.05 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.05 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 Theriot.
Has Theriot become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Theriot went from 6,424 recorded bearers to 6,121. That is a decrease of 303 (-4.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,418 to #5,484.
What does the Census say about the background of Theriot?
Among Census respondents with the surname Theriot, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.8%. The next largest groups are Black (5.2%) and Hispanic (4.7%). 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 Theriot in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.8% (5,313 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Theriot appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.8%), Black (5.2%), Hispanic (4.7%). 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 Theriot (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 Theriot mean?
A French occupational surname referring to a maker or seller of wine casks or barrels. 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 Theriot (2.05 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 common is the surname Theriot?
Find out how many people have the surname Theriot on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.