2000
#5,798
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,463
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.03
Rare Last name
Trudeau
A French surname derived from the Old French word "trudel," meaning "to walk with heavy steps" or "to trudge."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,352 Americans carry the last name Trudeau. That puts it at #5,983 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.85 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 53,960 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Trudeau 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
6.4K
1 in 53,960
Census rank
#5,983
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,539 bearers of the surname Trudeau in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.85 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5983rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Trudeau, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Trudeau
The surname Trudeau has its origins in France and can be traced back to the 12th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old French word "trou d'eau," which means "water hole" or "pool of water." This suggests that the name may have been initially used to refer to someone who lived near a body of water, such as a pond or a stream.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Trudeau can be found in various medieval French documents, including the Cartulaire de l'Abbaye de Savigny, dating back to the 13th century. This manuscript mentions a person named Renaud Trudeau, who lived in the village of Savigny in the region of Normandy.
During the Middle Ages, the Trudeau name was prevalent in the northern regions of France, particularly in Normandy and Picardy. It is also thought to have connections to several place names, such as Trou-d'Eau and Trouville, which further reinforces the name's association with water features.
Over the centuries, the Trudeau surname has undergone various spelling variations, including Trudel, Trudelle, and Trudault. These variations reflect the regional dialects and linguistic changes that occurred in different parts of France.
One notable historical figure bearing the Trudeau name was Jean Trudeau (1703-1770), a French-Canadian pioneer and explorer who played a significant role in the exploration and settlement of the Great Lakes region in North America. He was born in Quebec and is considered one of the first settlers of what is now Detroit, Michigan.
Another prominent individual with the Trudeau surname was Charles-Émile Trudeau (1887-1935), a French-Canadian physician and pioneer in the treatment of tuberculosis. He founded the Trudeau Sanatorium in Saranac Lake, New York, which became a renowned center for the treatment of tuberculosis patients.
In the realm of literature, the French author André Trudeau (1919-1995) gained recognition for his novels and short stories, which often explored themes of love, loss, and the human condition. His works, such as "La Mer et l'Amour" and "Le Temps de la Mémoire," earned him critical acclaim and several literary awards.
The Trudeau name has also been carried by prominent politicians and public figures, such as Pierre Elliott Trudeau (1919-2000), who served as the 15th Prime Minister of Canada from 1968 to 1979 and from 1980 to 1984. His son, Justin Trudeau, has followed in his footsteps and currently serves as the 23rd Prime Minister of Canada since 2015.
Overall, the surname Trudeau has a rich history rooted in the rural regions of northern France, with its origins linked to water features and geographic locations. Throughout the centuries, individuals bearing this name have made significant contributions across various fields, including exploration, medicine, literature, and politics.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Trudeau
Among Census respondents with the surname Trudeau, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Trudeau 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 Trudeau surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.7% · 5,025
- Two or more races3.7% · 207
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 174
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 50
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 42
- Black or African American0.7% · 41
Timeline
Historical Census data for Trudeau
Trudeau 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
#6,032
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,697
+234 bearers (+4.3%)
Per 100,000 1.93
Rank movement Down 234 places
2020
#5,983
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,539
-158 bearers (-2.8%)
Per 100,000 1.85
Rank movement Up 49 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,798 | 5,463 | 2.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,032 | 5,697 | 1.93 | +234 bearers (+4.3%) | Down 234 places |
| 2020 | #5,983 | 5,539 | 1.85 | -158 bearers (-2.8%) | Up 49 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 Trudeau 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 | #6,032 | #5,983 | 0.8% |
| Count | 5,697 | 5,539 | -2.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.93 | 1.85 | -4.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Trudeau bearers went from 5,697 to 5,539 (-2.8% change). The surname moved up 49 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,032 to #5,983.
FAQ
Trudeau surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Trudeau?
Name Census estimates that about 6,352 living Americans carry the surname Trudeau. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 53,960 residents.
How common is Trudeau?
Trudeau ranks #5,983 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.85 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,539 people with the surname Trudeau. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,352), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.85 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.85 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Trudeau.
Has Trudeau become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Trudeau went from 5,697 recorded bearers to 5,539. That is a decrease of 158 (-2.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #6,032 to #5,983.
What does the Census say about the background of Trudeau?
Among Census respondents with the surname Trudeau, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (3.1%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Trudeau in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.7% (5,025 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Trudeau appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.7%), Two or More Races (3.7%), Hispanic (3.1%). 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 Trudeau (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 Trudeau mean?
A French surname derived from the Old French word "trudel," meaning "to walk with heavy steps" or "to trudge." 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 Trudeau (1.85 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 Trudeau?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.