2000
#10,340
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,853
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.06
Rare Last name
Troupe
A French occupational surname for an actor or member of a company of traveling entertainers.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,444 Americans carry the last name Troupe. That puts it at #10,215 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.00 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 99,522 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Troupe 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 Troupe with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.4K
1 in 99,522
Census rank
#10,215
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,003 bearers of the surname Troupe in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.00 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10215th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Troupe, the largest self-reported group is Black at 45.3%. The next largest groups are White (44.4%) and Two or More Races (6.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Troupe
The surname Troupe is of French origin, derived from the Old French word "trope," which means "troop" or "band." The name can be traced back to the 13th century in the region of Normandy, France.
In the early days, the name was likely given to individuals who were part of a traveling group or troupe of performers, such as actors, musicians, or entertainers. This could have also included groups of soldiers or mercenaries who traveled together.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name Troupe can be found in the Livre des Métiers, a medieval Parisian trade guild register from the 13th century. Here, the name appears as "Trope," indicating the presence of individuals with this surname in Paris during that time.
In the 14th century, the name Troupe is found in the records of the town of Rouen, Normandy. A certain Jean Troupe is mentioned as a resident of the town in 1349.
Over the centuries, variations in spelling emerged, including Trope, Troup, and Trowpe. These variations were likely due to regional dialects and the inconsistent spelling practices of the time.
One notable bearer of the name was Jean-Baptiste Troupe, a French composer and musician who lived from 1636 to 1707. He was known for his contributions to the development of the French operatic tradition.
In England, the name Troupe appeared in the 17th century, likely brought over by French Huguenot refugees fleeing religious persecution. One such individual was Jacques Troupe, who settled in London in 1685 and worked as a silk weaver.
Another prominent figure with the surname Troupe was François Troupe, a French playwright and actor who lived from 1674 to 1739. He was renowned for his comedic plays and performances in the Comédie-Française, the state theater of France.
During the 18th century, the name Troupe can be found in records from various parts of Europe, including Germany, where a Johann Troupe was a prominent merchant in the city of Hamburg in the 1750s.
In the United States, the name Troupe has been present since the early days of immigration from France and other European countries. One of the earliest recorded instances is that of Pierre Troupe, a French settler who arrived in Louisiana in the 1720s and became a successful landowner and trader.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Troupe
Among Census respondents with the surname Troupe, the largest self-reported group is Black at 45.3%. The next largest groups are White (44.4%) and Two or More Races (6.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Troupe 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 Troupe surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American45.3% · 1,359
- White44.4% · 1,334
- Two or more races6.1% · 182
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 109
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Troupe
Troupe 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
#10,668
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,999
+146 bearers (+5.1%)
Per 100,000 1.02
Rank movement Down 328 places
2020
#10,215
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,003
+4 bearers (+0.1%)
Per 100,000 1.00
Rank movement Up 453 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,340 | 2,853 | 1.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,668 | 2,999 | 1.02 | +146 bearers (+5.1%) | Down 328 places |
| 2020 | #10,215 | 3,003 | 1.00 | +4 bearers (+0.1%) | Up 453 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 Troupe 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 | #10,668 | #10,215 | 4.2% |
| Count | 2,999 | 3,003 | 0.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.02 | 1.00 | -1.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Troupe bearers went from 2,999 to 3,003 (+0.1% change). The surname moved up 453 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,668 to #10,215.
FAQ
Troupe surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Troupe?
Name Census estimates that about 3,444 living Americans carry the surname Troupe. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 99,522 residents.
How common is Troupe?
Troupe ranks #10,215 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.00 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 3,003 people with the surname Troupe. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,444), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.00 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 Troupe.
Has Troupe become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Troupe went from 2,999 recorded bearers to 3,003. That is an increase of 4 (+0.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #10,668 to #10,215.
What does the Census say about the background of Troupe?
Among Census respondents with the surname Troupe, the largest self-reported group is Black at 45.3%. The next largest groups are White (44.4%) and Two or More Races (6.1%). 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 Troupe in the 2020 Census, accounting for 45.3% (1,359 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Troupe appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (45.3%), White (44.4%), Two or More Races (6.1%). 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 Troupe (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 Troupe mean?
A French occupational surname for an actor or member of a company of traveling entertainers. 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 Troupe (1.00 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 are called Troupe?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Troupe is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.