2010
#141,140
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Thifault
From an Old French surname meaning "someone's servant or faithful one".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 120 Americans carry the last name Thifault. That puts it at #152,989 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,856,286 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Thifault 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
120
1 in 2,856,286
Census rank
#152,989
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
105
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 105 bearers of the surname Thifault in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152989th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Thifault, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.2%. The next largest groups are Black (8.6%) and Two or More Races (8.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Thifault
The surname Thifault originates from France and is believed to have emerged during the Middle Ages. It is thought to derive from the Old French words "tif" and "faut," which together could have meant something along the lines of "false or deceitful quarrel."
The name may have initially been used as a nickname or descriptor for someone perceived as quarrelsome or prone to engaging in petty disputes. It first appeared in written records in the 12th century, though the earliest documented examples are found in the northern regions of France, particularly in the provinces of Normandy and Picardy.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Jehan Thifault, a merchant from the town of Rouen who is mentioned in a trade register from 1348. Another notable figure was Guillaume Thifault, a soldier who fought in the Hundred Years' War and is recorded as having participated in the Battle of Agincourt in 1415.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the surname began to spread across France, with variations in spelling emerging, such as Tiffault, Tiffaut, and Tiffeau. Some of these variations may have been influenced by local dialects or scribal errors.
A prominent bearer of the name was Louis Thifault, born in 1602 in the village of Châteaudun, who was a renowned mathematician and astronomer. He made significant contributions to the development of logarithmic tables and was appointed as the Royal Mathematician to King Louis XIII.
Another individual of note was Marie Thifault, born in 1675 in Marseille. She was a celebrated artist and painter, known for her intricate portraits and religious scenes. Her works were displayed in many churches and noble households across southern France.
In the 18th century, Philippe Thifault, born in 1712 in Paris, gained recognition as a respected jurist and legal scholar. He authored several influential treatises on French civil law and served as a magistrate in the Parlement of Paris.
As the surname spread beyond France, it was carried by immigrants to other parts of the world, including regions of North America and the Caribbean. However, the origins and earliest documented cases of the name can be traced back to various regions of medieval and early modern France.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Thifault
Among Census respondents with the surname Thifault, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.2%. The next largest groups are Black (8.6%) and Two or More Races (8.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Thifault 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 Thifault surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White76.2% · 80
- Black or African American8.6% · 9
- Two or more races8.6% · 9
- Hispanic or Latino5.7% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Thifault
Thifault appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#152,989
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
-13 bearers (-11.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 11,849 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #141,140 | 118 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #152,989 | 105 | 0.04 | -13 bearers (-11.0%) | Down 11,849 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 Thifault 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 | #141,140 | #152,989 | -8.4% |
| Count | 118 | 105 | -11.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -12.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Thifault bearers went from 118 to 105 (-11.0% change). The surname moved down 11,849 positions in the national ranking, going from #141,140 to #152,989.
FAQ
Thifault surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Thifault?
Name Census estimates that about 120 living Americans carry the surname Thifault. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,856,286 residents.
How common is Thifault?
Thifault ranks #152,989 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 105 people with the surname Thifault. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (120), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Thifault.
Has Thifault become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Thifault went from 118 recorded bearers to 105. That is a decrease of 13 (-11.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #141,140 to #152,989.
What does the Census say about the background of Thifault?
Among Census respondents with the surname Thifault, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.2%. The next largest groups are Black (8.6%) and Two or More Races (8.6%). 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 Thifault in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.2% (80 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Thifault appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (76.2%), Black (8.6%), Two or More Races (8.6%). 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 Thifault (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 Thifault mean?
From an Old French surname meaning "someone's servant or faithful one". 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 Thifault (0.04 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 Thifault?
You can see how many people have the last name Thifault on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.