2000
#2,508
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,199
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.89
Uncommon Last name
Thibodeaux
A French occupational surname for a person who made or sold a kind of boat called a thibaud.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 15,057 Americans carry the last name Thibodeaux. That puts it at #2,679 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.39 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 22,764 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Thibodeaux 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
15K
1 in 22,764
Census rank
#2,679
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
13K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 13,130 bearers of the surname Thibodeaux in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.39 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2679th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Thibodeaux, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.2%. The next largest groups are Black (16.1%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Thibodeaux
The surname Thibodeaux originated in France during the medieval period. It is derived from the Germanic personal name Theudebald, which is composed of the elements "theud" meaning "people" and "bald" meaning "bold" or "brave". The name likely arose as a nickname for someone considered brave among the people.
The earliest known recorded spelling of the name is Theudebaldus, found in records dating back to the 7th century. Over time, the name evolved through various spellings such as Thibault, Thibaud, and Thibaut, before eventually becoming Thibodeaux in the French regions of Poitou and Saintonge.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Thibodeaux was Thibaut de Champagne, a French nobleman and trouvère poet who lived from around 1201 to 1253. He was known for his contributions to courtly love literature and his participation in the Albigensian Crusade.
Another notable figure with this surname was Jean Thibodeaux, a French explorer and colonist who lived in the late 17th century. He was among the first settlers to establish a permanent French presence in what is now Louisiana, and played a role in the early development of the French colony.
In the 18th century, Jean-Baptiste Thibodeaux, a French-Canadian fur trader and explorer, was active in the Great Lakes region and the American Midwest. He is credited with establishing several trading posts and contributing to the mapping of the region.
The Thibodeaux name also has a connection to the Acadian diaspora, as many Acadians fleeing the British expulsion from Nova Scotia in the mid-18th century settled in Louisiana, bringing their French surnames with them. One notable Acadian with this surname was Joseph Thibodeaux, a military leader who fought against the British during the American Revolutionary War.
In the 19th century, Pierre Thibodeaux was a prominent figure in the Cajun community of Louisiana. He was a successful businessman and landowner, and played a significant role in preserving Cajun culture and traditions in the region.
While the Thibodeaux surname is primarily associated with Louisiana and the Acadian diaspora, it can also be found in other parts of the United States, as well as in Canada and France, reflecting the historical migration patterns of French and French-Canadian populations.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Thibodeaux
Among Census respondents with the surname Thibodeaux, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.2%. The next largest groups are Black (16.1%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Thibodeaux 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 Thibodeaux surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White76.2% · 10,000
- Black or African American16.1% · 2,116
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 462
- Two or more races3.2% · 421
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 82
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 49
Timeline
Historical Census data for Thibodeaux
Thibodeaux 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
#2,602
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,850
+651 bearers (+4.9%)
Per 100,000 4.70
Rank movement Down 94 places
2020
#2,679
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,130
-720 bearers (-5.2%)
Per 100,000 4.39
Rank movement Down 77 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,508 | 13,199 | 4.89 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,602 | 13,850 | 4.70 | +651 bearers (+4.9%) | Down 94 places |
| 2020 | #2,679 | 13,130 | 4.39 | -720 bearers (-5.2%) | Down 77 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 Thibodeaux 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 | #2,602 | #2,679 | -3.0% |
| Count | 13,850 | 13,130 | -5.2% |
| Per 100K | 4.70 | 4.39 | -6.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Thibodeaux bearers went from 13,850 to 13,130 (-5.2% change). The surname moved down 77 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,602 to #2,679.
FAQ
Thibodeaux surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Thibodeaux?
Name Census estimates that about 15,057 living Americans carry the surname Thibodeaux. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 22,764 residents.
How common is Thibodeaux?
Thibodeaux ranks #2,679 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.39 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 13,130 people with the surname Thibodeaux. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (15,057), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.39 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.39 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Thibodeaux.
Has Thibodeaux become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Thibodeaux went from 13,850 recorded bearers to 13,130. That is a decrease of 720 (-5.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,602 to #2,679.
What does the Census say about the background of Thibodeaux?
Among Census respondents with the surname Thibodeaux, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.2%. The next largest groups are Black (16.1%) and Hispanic (3.5%). 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 Thibodeaux in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.2% (10,000 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Thibodeaux appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (76.2%), Black (16.1%), Hispanic (3.5%). 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 Thibodeaux (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 Thibodeaux mean?
A French occupational surname for a person who made or sold a kind of boat called a thibaud. 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 Thibodeaux (4.39 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 Thibodeaux?
See how many Americans have the surname Thibodeaux on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.