2000
#12,742
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,223
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.82
Rare Last name
Touchet
A French locational surname derived from a place name meaning "stumpy" or "cut short" in Old French.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,538 Americans carry the last name Touchet. That puts it at #13,221 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.74 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 135,049 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Touchet 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
2.5K
1 in 135,049
Census rank
#13,221
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,213 bearers of the surname Touchet in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.74 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13221st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Touchet, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Touchet
The surname Touchet is believed to have originated in Normandy, France, during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old French word "toucher," meaning "to touch" or "to strike." This suggests that the name may have been initially given to someone known for their skills with a weapon or their physical prowess.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of land ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The Domesday Book lists several individuals bearing variations of the name, such as Toucher and Touchet.
One of the earliest notable individuals with this surname was Sir John Touchet, who lived in the 13th century and served as Lord of Cressing in Essex, England. Another prominent figure was James Touchet, 7th Baron Audley (1420-1459), a significant landowner and military commander during the Wars of the Roses.
In the 16th century, the Touchet family played a prominent role in English history. George Touchet, 11th Baron Audley (1501-1544), was a courtier and diplomat who served as Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports. His son, Henry Touchet, 12th Baron Audley (1538-1617), was a celebrated military commander who fought against the Spanish Armada in 1588.
Across the Atlantic, the Touchet surname also made its mark in the American colonies. One notable figure was James Touchet (1702-1777), a merchant and landowner in Virginia who served as a justice of the peace and a member of the House of Burgesses.
Other notable individuals with the Touchet surname include John Touchet (1682-1743), a British politician and member of parliament, and Sir John Touchet, 2nd Baronet (1730-1793), a British naval officer who served during the American Revolutionary War.
While the Touchet surname has its roots in medieval France, it has since spread and evolved across various regions and cultures, with descendants making significant contributions in various fields throughout history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Touchet
Among Census respondents with the surname Touchet, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Touchet 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 Touchet surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.1% · 2,039
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 82
- Two or more races2.4% · 54
- Black or African American0.9% · 19
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Touchet
Touchet 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
#12,881
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,389
+166 bearers (+7.5%)
Per 100,000 0.81
Rank movement Down 139 places
2020
#13,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,213
-176 bearers (-7.4%)
Per 100,000 0.74
Rank movement Down 340 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,742 | 2,223 | 0.82 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,881 | 2,389 | 0.81 | +166 bearers (+7.5%) | Down 139 places |
| 2020 | #13,221 | 2,213 | 0.74 | -176 bearers (-7.4%) | Down 340 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 Touchet 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 | #12,881 | #13,221 | -2.6% |
| Count | 2,389 | 2,213 | -7.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.81 | 0.74 | -8.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Touchet bearers went from 2,389 to 2,213 (-7.4% change). The surname moved down 340 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,881 to #13,221.
FAQ
Touchet surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Touchet?
Name Census estimates that about 2,538 living Americans carry the surname Touchet. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 135,049 residents.
How common is Touchet?
Touchet ranks #13,221 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.74 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 2,213 people with the surname Touchet. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,538), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.74 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.74 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 Touchet.
Has Touchet become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Touchet went from 2,389 recorded bearers to 2,213. That is a decrease of 176 (-7.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,881 to #13,221.
What does the Census say about the background of Touchet?
Among Census respondents with the surname Touchet, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Touchet in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.1% (2,039 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Touchet appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.1%), Hispanic (3.7%), Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Touchet (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 Touchet mean?
A French locational surname derived from a place name meaning "stumpy" or "cut short" in Old French. 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 Touchet (0.74 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 surname Touchet?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.