Find out how popular the last name Thibodeaux is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Thibodeaux.

Thibodeaux, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Thibodeaux surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Thibodeaux in America

Thibodeaux is the 2602nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Thibodeaux surname appeared 13,850 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 5 people would have the surname Thibodeaux.

We can also compare 2010 data for Thibodeaux to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name 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.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Thibodeaux

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Thibodeaux.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Thibodeaux was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Thibodeaux has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Thibodeaux was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Thibodeaux, please contact us.

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