2000
#5,598
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,686
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.11
Rare Last name
Toussaint
A French surname referring to someone born on All Saints' Day (November 1st) or living near a church.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,338 Americans carry the last name Toussaint. That puts it at #4,219 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.72 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 36,705 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Toussaint 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Toussaint with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
9.3K
1 in 36,705
Census rank
#4,219
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,143 bearers of the surname Toussaint in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.72 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4219th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Toussaint, the largest self-reported group is Black at 73.3%. The next largest groups are White (19.0%) and Hispanic (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Toussaint
The surname Toussaint originated in France and is derived from the French phrase "tous les saints", meaning "all the saints". This suggests that the name may have been given to someone born on All Saints' Day or who lived near a church dedicated to all saints.
The earliest known record of the name Toussaint dates back to the 12th century in the region of Normandy, France. It was likely used as a descriptive surname to identify individuals associated with a particular church, village, or area connected to All Saints' Day.
During the Middle Ages, the name Toussaint appeared in various records and manuscripts throughout France. One notable example is the Domesday Book of 1086, which documented landowners and tenants in England following the Norman Conquest. The name Toussaint was listed among those who held land in the county of Lincolnshire.
In the 13th century, a French noble named Geoffroy Toussaint was a prominent figure in the court of King Louis IX. He was known for his military prowess and served as a knight during the Seventh Crusade.
In the 15th century, a French scholar and theologian named Pierre Toussaint gained recognition for his work on the philosophy of religion. He was born in 1409 in the town of Reims and died in 1475.
During the 16th century, the name Toussaint became associated with the French aristocracy. One notable figure was François Toussaint, a nobleman and diplomat who served as the French ambassador to the Holy Roman Empire in the late 1500s.
In the 17th century, a French artist named Jacques Toussaint gained fame for his intricate engravings and etchings. He was born in Paris in 1618 and died in 1690.
Another notable individual with the surname Toussaint was Pierre Toussaint, a former slave who became a renowned philanthropist and Catholic lay leader in New York City during the early 19th century. Born in modern-day Haiti in 1766, he dedicated his life to serving the poor and sick after gaining his freedom.
Over the centuries, the surname Toussaint has been found in various places throughout France, with slight variations in spelling, such as Toussain, Toussainct, and Toussayn. However, the core meaning and origin of the name remain rooted in the French phrase "tous les saints".
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Toussaint
Among Census respondents with the surname Toussaint, the largest self-reported group is Black at 73.3%. The next largest groups are White (19.0%) and Hispanic (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Toussaint 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 Toussaint surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American73.3% · 5,965
- White19.0% · 1,545
- Hispanic or Latino4.1% · 332
- Two or more races3.1% · 256
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 38
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Toussaint
Toussaint 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
#4,759
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,441
+1,755 bearers (+30.9%)
Per 100,000 2.52
Rank movement Up 839 places
2020
#4,219
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,143
+702 bearers (+9.4%)
Per 100,000 2.72
Rank movement Up 540 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,598 | 5,686 | 2.11 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,759 | 7,441 | 2.52 | +1,755 bearers (+30.9%) | Up 839 places |
| 2020 | #4,219 | 8,143 | 2.72 | +702 bearers (+9.4%) | Up 540 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 Toussaint 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 | #4,759 | #4,219 | 11.3% |
| Count | 7,441 | 8,143 | 9.4% |
| Per 100K | 2.52 | 2.72 | 8.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Toussaint bearers went from 7,441 to 8,143 (+9.4% change). The surname moved up 540 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,759 to #4,219.
FAQ
Toussaint surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Toussaint?
Name Census estimates that about 9,338 living Americans carry the surname Toussaint. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 36,705 residents.
How common is Toussaint?
Toussaint ranks #4,219 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.72 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,143 people with the surname Toussaint. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,338), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.72 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.72 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Toussaint.
Has Toussaint become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Toussaint went from 7,441 recorded bearers to 8,143. That is an increase of 702 (+9.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #4,759 to #4,219.
What does the Census say about the background of Toussaint?
Among Census respondents with the surname Toussaint, the largest self-reported group is Black at 73.3%. The next largest groups are White (19.0%) and Hispanic (4.1%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Toussaint in the 2020 Census, accounting for 73.3% (5,965 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Toussaint appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (73.3%), White (19.0%), Hispanic (4.1%). 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 Toussaint (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 Toussaint mean?
A French surname referring to someone born on All Saints' Day (November 1st) or living near a church. 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 Toussaint (2.72 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 Toussaint?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.