2000
#15,530
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,729
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.64
Rare Last name
Thibodaux
From the French place name Thibodaux, referring to someone from that town.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,056 Americans carry the last name Thibodaux. That puts it at #15,680 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.60 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 166,709 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Thibodaux 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 166,709
Census rank
#15,680
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,793 bearers of the surname Thibodaux in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.60 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15680th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Thibodaux, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Black (4.7%) and Hispanic (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Thibodaux
The surname Thibodaux is of French origin, derived from a place name in Normandy, France. It is believed to have originated during the medieval period, around the 11th or 12th century.
The name Thibodaux is thought to be derived from the Old French name Thibault or Thibaut, which itself is believed to be a Germanic name composed of the elements "thiad" meaning "people" and "bald" meaning "bold" or "brave." This name was likely brought to Normandy by Norse settlers and subsequently adopted by the local population.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Thibodaux can be found in the Domesday Book, a survey commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. This document mentions a landowner named Thibaut in the county of Dorset, England.
In the 13th century, a prominent figure named Thibault de Champagne (1201-1253) was the Count of Champagne and King of Navarre. He played a significant role in the Albigensian Crusade and the Seventh Crusade to the Holy Land.
During the 17th century, the name Thibodaux was carried to the New World by French settlers who established communities in what is now Louisiana. One notable figure from this period was Jean-Baptiste Thibodaux (1674-1742), who was among the earliest settlers in the Bayou Lafourche region of Louisiana.
In the late 18th century, Étienne Thibodaux (1758-1824) was a prominent landowner and plantation owner in the Lafourche region. He was instrumental in the development of the area and the establishment of the town of Thibodaux, which bears his name.
Another significant figure was Jacques Thibodaux (1810-1888), a Louisiana politician and businessman who served as a member of the Louisiana State Senate and was involved in the development of the state's sugar industry.
Throughout history, variations of the name have included Thibodeaux, Thibaudeau, and Thibault, reflecting the influence of different regional dialects and spelling conventions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Thibodaux
Among Census respondents with the surname Thibodaux, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Black (4.7%) and Hispanic (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Thibodaux 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 Thibodaux surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.4% · 1,621
- Black or African American4.7% · 84
- Hispanic or Latino2.2% · 39
- Two or more races1.9% · 34
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 10
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Thibodaux
Thibodaux 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
#15,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,856
+127 bearers (+7.3%)
Per 100,000 0.63
Rank movement Down 182 places
2020
#15,680
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,793
-63 bearers (-3.4%)
Per 100,000 0.60
Rank movement Up 32 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #15,530 | 1,729 | 0.64 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,712 | 1,856 | 0.63 | +127 bearers (+7.3%) | Down 182 places |
| 2020 | #15,680 | 1,793 | 0.60 | -63 bearers (-3.4%) | Up 32 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 Thibodaux 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 | #15,712 | #15,680 | 0.2% |
| Count | 1,856 | 1,793 | -3.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.63 | 0.60 | -4.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Thibodaux bearers went from 1,856 to 1,793 (-3.4% change). The surname moved up 32 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,712 to #15,680.
FAQ
Thibodaux surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Thibodaux?
Name Census estimates that about 2,056 living Americans carry the surname Thibodaux. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 166,709 residents.
How common is Thibodaux?
Thibodaux ranks #15,680 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.60 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 1,793 people with the surname Thibodaux. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,056), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.6 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.60 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 Thibodaux.
Has Thibodaux become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Thibodaux went from 1,856 recorded bearers to 1,793. That is a decrease of 63 (-3.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #15,712 to #15,680.
What does the Census say about the background of Thibodaux?
Among Census respondents with the surname Thibodaux, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Black (4.7%) and Hispanic (2.2%). 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 Thibodaux in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.4% (1,621 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Thibodaux appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.4%), Black (4.7%), Hispanic (2.2%). 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 Thibodaux (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 Thibodaux mean?
From the French place name Thibodaux, referring to someone from that town. 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 Thibodaux (0.60 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 Thibodaux?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.