2000
#15,704
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,708
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.63
Rare Last name
Truex
A surname derived from the French word "truche" meaning a trout, likely occupational for a fisherman.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,030 Americans carry the last name Truex. That puts it at #15,844 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.59 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 168,845 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Truex 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
2.0K
1 in 168,845
Census rank
#15,844
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,770 bearers of the surname Truex in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.59 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15844th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Truex, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Truex
The surname Truex originated in France, with the earliest known records dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to have been derived from the Old French word "truie," which means "sow" or "female pig." This suggests that the name may have been initially used as a nickname or a description of someone's occupation or association with pigs.
In the 13th century, the name Truex appeared in various historical records, including the Cartulary of the Abbey of St. Victor in Paris, where a certain Robinus Truex was mentioned in 1248. This early reference indicates that the name was already well-established in the region during that time period.
By the 14th century, the Truex surname had spread to other parts of France, with variations in spelling such as Truye, Truye, and Truhé appearing in various documents. One notable bearer of the name was Jean Truex, a merchant from Lyon who was recorded in the city's tax records in 1372.
As the surname traveled across Europe, it underwent further changes in spelling and pronunciation. In England, for instance, the name was adapted to Truex or Trewx, as evidenced by the birth record of William Truex in Lincolnshire in 1493.
Throughout the centuries, the Truex surname has been associated with several notable individuals. In the 16th century, Michel Truex (1510-1587) was a renowned French philosopher and theologian known for his contributions to the Renaissance humanist movement. Later, in the 18th century, Jacques Truex (1734-1802) was a prominent French architect who designed several notable buildings in Paris.
Other notable bearers of the Truex surname include:
1. Pierre Truex (1678-1741), a French explorer and cartographer who mapped parts of the Mississippi River basin in North America.
2. Marie-Antoinette Truex (1755-1793), a French aristocrat and a victim of the French Revolution.
3. Charles Truex (1867-1942), an American actor and vaudeville performer known for his comedic roles on Broadway.
4. John Truex (1899-1983), an American film and television actor best known for his roles in screwball comedies.
5. Brendan Truex (born 1981), a contemporary American actor and comedian, known for his work on television shows such as "The Newsroom" and "The Affair."
While the Truex surname has its roots in France, it has since spread across the globe, with bearers of the name found in various countries and cultures, each contributing to its rich and diverse history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Truex
Among Census respondents with the surname Truex, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Truex 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 Truex surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.9% · 1,609
- Hispanic or Latino4.1% · 73
- Two or more races3.3% · 59
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.1% · 20
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 6
- Black or African American0.2% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Truex
Truex 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
#16,427
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,751
+43 bearers (+2.5%)
Per 100,000 0.59
Rank movement Down 723 places
2020
#15,844
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,770
+19 bearers (+1.1%)
Per 100,000 0.59
Rank movement Up 583 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #15,704 | 1,708 | 0.63 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #16,427 | 1,751 | 0.59 | +43 bearers (+2.5%) | Down 723 places |
| 2020 | #15,844 | 1,770 | 0.59 | +19 bearers (+1.1%) | Up 583 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 Truex 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 | #16,427 | #15,844 | 3.5% |
| Count | 1,751 | 1,770 | 1.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.59 | 0.59 | 0.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Truex bearers went from 1,751 to 1,770 (+1.1% change). The surname moved up 583 positions in the national ranking, going from #16,427 to #15,844.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Truex
FAQ
Truex surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Truex?
Name Census estimates that about 2,030 living Americans carry the surname Truex. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 168,845 residents.
How common is Truex?
Truex ranks #15,844 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.59 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 1,770 people with the surname Truex. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,030), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.59 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.59 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 Truex.
Has Truex become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Truex went from 1,751 recorded bearers to 1,770. That is an increase of 19 (+1.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #16,427 to #15,844.
What does the Census say about the background of Truex?
Among Census respondents with the surname Truex, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Truex in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.9% (1,609 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Truex appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.9%), Hispanic (4.1%), Two or More Races (3.3%). 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 Truex (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 Truex mean?
A surname derived from the French word "truche" meaning a trout, likely occupational for a fisherman. 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 Truex (0.59 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 Truex?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.