2000
#5,557
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,739
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.13
Rare Last name
Thibault
A French occupational surname referring to a person who tills the land or breaks up the soil.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,344 Americans carry the last name Thibault. That puts it at #5,990 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.85 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 54,028 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Thibault 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 54,028
Census rank
#5,990
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,532 bearers of the surname Thibault in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.85 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5990th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Thibault, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Thibault
The surname Thibault originated in France during the medieval period, deriving from the Germanic personal name Theudebald, which was composed of the elements theud, meaning "people," and bald, meaning "bold" or "brave." This name was Latinized as Theobaldus or Theodebaldus and eventually evolved into the modern French form Thibault.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Thibault can be found in various French historical documents, such as charters and cartularies, from the 9th century onwards. One notable bearer of this name was Thibault le Tricheur (Thibault the Cheat or the Deceiver), Count of Blois and Tours, who lived in the late 10th century.
During the Middle Ages, the name Thibault was particularly prevalent in the regions of Normandy, Brittany, and Île-de-France. It was often associated with noble families and members of the aristocracy, such as the Counts of Blois and Champagne.
In the 12th century, a prominent figure bearing the name Thibault was Thibault IV, Count of Champagne and King of Navarre (1201-1253). He was a notable participant in the Albigensian Crusade and the Sixth Crusade to the Holy Land.
Another historically significant individual with the surname Thibault was Jacques Thibault (1595-1676), a French painter and etcher who was a member of the Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture and is known for his religious works and portraits.
The surname Thibault also appeared in various forms and spellings throughout history, such as Thibaut, Thiebault, and Thiébaut. These variations were often influenced by regional dialects and scribal practices.
Other notable bearers of the surname Thibault include Pierre Thibault (1675-1737), a Canadian-born explorer and fur trader who played a significant role in the early exploration of the Canadian West, and Ghislain Thibault (1938-2004), a Canadian actor and filmmaker known for his work in both English and French-language productions.
While the surname Thibault has its roots in France, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly in regions with French cultural influence or through migration patterns.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Thibault
Among Census respondents with the surname Thibault, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Thibault 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 Thibault surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.8% · 5,079
- Two or more races3.2% · 179
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 144
- Black or African American1.1% · 63
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 43
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 24
Timeline
Historical Census data for Thibault
Thibault 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
#5,878
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,870
+131 bearers (+2.3%)
Per 100,000 1.99
Rank movement Down 321 places
2020
#5,990
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,532
-338 bearers (-5.8%)
Per 100,000 1.85
Rank movement Down 112 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,557 | 5,739 | 2.13 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,878 | 5,870 | 1.99 | +131 bearers (+2.3%) | Down 321 places |
| 2020 | #5,990 | 5,532 | 1.85 | -338 bearers (-5.8%) | Down 112 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 Thibault 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 | #5,878 | #5,990 | -1.9% |
| Count | 5,870 | 5,532 | -5.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.99 | 1.85 | -7.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Thibault bearers went from 5,870 to 5,532 (-5.8% change). The surname moved down 112 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,878 to #5,990.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Thibault
FAQ
Thibault surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Thibault?
Name Census estimates that about 6,344 living Americans carry the surname Thibault. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 54,028 residents.
How common is Thibault?
Thibault ranks #5,990 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.85 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 5,532 people with the surname Thibault. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,344), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.85 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.85 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 Thibault.
Has Thibault become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Thibault went from 5,870 recorded bearers to 5,532. That is a decrease of 338 (-5.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,878 to #5,990.
What does the Census say about the background of Thibault?
Among Census respondents with the surname Thibault, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Thibault in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.8% (5,079 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Thibault appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.8%), Two or More Races (3.2%), Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Thibault (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 Thibault mean?
A French occupational surname referring to a person who tills the land or breaks up the soil. 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 Thibault (1.85 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 last name Thibault?
If you just want to know how common the surname Thibault is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.