2000
#133,114
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Touche
A surname derived from the French word "toucher" meaning "to touch" or "to hit."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Touche. That puts it at #142,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,520,252 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Touche 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
136
1 in 2,520,252
Census rank
#142,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
119
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 119 bearers of the surname Touche in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Touche, the largest self-reported group is American Indian/Alaska Native at 45.4%. The next largest groups are White (33.6%) and Hispanic (15.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Touche
The surname "Touche" is of French origin, derived from the Old French word "toucher," which means "to touch" or "to strike." It likely originated in the 12th or 13th century in northern France, particularly in the regions of Normandy and Picardy.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the 13th-century manuscript "Cartulaire de l'abbaye de Saint-Aubin d'Angers," which mentions a person named "Robertus Touche." This suggests that the surname was already in use by that time.
The name may have originally referred to a person's occupation or a physical characteristic. For example, it could have been given to someone who worked as a fencer, a swordsman, or a person who was skilled in combat. Alternatively, it could have been used to describe someone who had a particular physical trait, such as a tendency to touch or strike others.
In the 14th century, the surname appears in various records from the region of Normandy. One notable example is Jean Touche, a Norman knight who fought in the Battle of Agincourt in 1415 during the Hundred Years' War.
During the 16th century, the name "Touche" became more widespread across France. One prominent figure with this surname was François Touche, a French mathematician and astronomer born in 1556. He made significant contributions to the field of mathematics and published works on geometry and trigonometry.
In the 17th century, the surname "Touche" appeared in records from the French province of Languedoc. One noteworthy individual from this period was Louis Touche, a French Jesuit priest and historian born in 1628. He authored several books on the history of Languedoc and its religious institutions.
Another notable figure with the surname "Touche" was Jacques Touche, a French painter born in 1706. He was a member of the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture in Paris and is known for his portraits and historical paintings.
Throughout its history, the surname "Touche" has also been associated with various place names, such as Touche-sur-Mer in Normandy and Touche-d'Auvergne in the Auvergne region of central France. Additionally, variations in spelling, such as "Touchez" and "Touchet," have been recorded over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Touche
Among Census respondents with the surname Touche, the largest self-reported group is American Indian/Alaska Native at 45.4%. The next largest groups are White (33.6%) and Hispanic (15.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Touche 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 Touche surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- American Indian and Alaska Native45.4% · 54
- White33.6% · 40
- Hispanic or Latino15.1% · 18
- Two or more races5.0% · 6
- Black or African American0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Touche
Touche 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
#153,769
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
-11 bearers (-9.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 20,655 places
2020
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
+13 bearers (+12.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 10,981 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #133,114 | 117 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #153,769 | 106 | 0.04 | -11 bearers (-9.4%) | Down 20,655 places |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | +13 bearers (+12.3%) | Up 10,981 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 Touche 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 | #153,769 | #142,788 | 7.1% |
| Count | 106 | 119 | 12.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -0.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Touche bearers went from 106 to 119 (+12.3% change). The surname moved up 10,981 positions in the national ranking, going from #153,769 to #142,788.
FAQ
Touche surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Touche?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Touche. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Touche?
Touche ranks #142,788 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 119 people with the surname Touche. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (136), 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 Touche.
Has Touche become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Touche went from 106 recorded bearers to 119. That is an increase of 13 (+12.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #153,769 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Touche?
Among Census respondents with the surname Touche, the largest self-reported group is American Indian/Alaska Native at 45.4%. The next largest groups are White (33.6%) and Hispanic (15.1%). 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?
American Indian/Alaska Native is the largest self-reported group for the surname Touche in the 2020 Census, accounting for 45.4% (54 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Touche appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are American Indian/Alaska Native (45.4%), White (33.6%), Hispanic (15.1%). 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 Touche (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 Touche mean?
A surname derived from the French word "toucher" meaning "to touch" or "to hit." 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 Touche (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 share the surname Touche?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.