2000
#12,175
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,346
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.87
Rare Last name
Veilleux
Derived from the Old French word "veil" or "vieil," meaning "old" or "elder."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,651 Americans carry the last name Veilleux. That puts it at #12,747 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.77 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 129,292 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Veilleux 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
2.7K
1 in 129,292
Census rank
#12,747
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,312 bearers of the surname Veilleux in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.77 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12747th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Veilleux, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Veilleux
The surname Veilleux originated in France, particularly in the region of Poitou. It is derived from the Old French word "veilleur," meaning "watchman" or "guard." This occupation-based surname is believed to have emerged during the Middle Ages, between the 11th and 15th centuries.
The earliest known records of the Veilleux surname date back to the 13th century in the Poitou region. One notable mention is found in a document from 1289, which refers to a "Jean Veilleux" who served as a watchman for a local lord.
As the Veilleux family spread across France, variations in the spelling of the name emerged, such as Veilleaux, Veilliaux, and Veillau. Some of these variants were likely influenced by local dialects and pronunciation differences.
The Veilleux surname has ties to several place names in France, including Veilleuse, a commune in the Cantal department, and Veilleuse-de-Tronçais, a hamlet in the Allier department. These place names may have contributed to the adoption of the surname by families residing in those areas.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the Veilleux surname. One such person was Jean Veilleux (1638-1708), a French-Canadian colonist and pioneer who settled in Quebec in the 17th century. Another was Pierre Veilleux (1740-1823), a French-Canadian farmer and militia captain during the American Revolutionary War.
Other prominent individuals with the Veilleux surname include:
1. Gérard Veilleux (1942-2017), a Canadian businessman and former CEO of the Montreal Stock Exchange.
2. Sylvain Veilleux (born 1981), a Canadian professional ice hockey player who played for several NHL teams, including the Minnesota Wild and Tampa Bay Lightning.
3. Denise Veilleux (born 1949), a Canadian film and television actress known for her roles in "Bon Cop, Bad Cop" and "Mémoires vives."
4. Jean-Marie Veilleux (1911-1994), a Canadian Roman Catholic bishop who served as the Bishop of Nicolet from 1967 to 1987.
5. Gilles Veilleux (born 1948), a Canadian artist and sculptor known for his large-scale public artworks in cities across Canada.
The Veilleux surname has a rich history rooted in the occupation of watchmen and guards in medieval France. While its origins trace back to the Poitou region, the name has since spread worldwide, with notable individuals bearing this surname contributing to various fields throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Veilleux
Among Census respondents with the surname Veilleux, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Veilleux 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 Veilleux surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.4% · 2,136
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 82
- Two or more races2.9% · 66
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 17
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 6
- Black or African American0.2% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Veilleux
Veilleux 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
#12,692
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,433
+87 bearers (+3.7%)
Per 100,000 0.82
Rank movement Down 517 places
2020
#12,747
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,312
-121 bearers (-5.0%)
Per 100,000 0.77
Rank movement Down 55 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,175 | 2,346 | 0.87 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,692 | 2,433 | 0.82 | +87 bearers (+3.7%) | Down 517 places |
| 2020 | #12,747 | 2,312 | 0.77 | -121 bearers (-5.0%) | Down 55 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 Veilleux 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 | #12,692 | #12,747 | -0.4% |
| Count | 2,433 | 2,312 | -5.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.82 | 0.77 | -5.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Veilleux bearers went from 2,433 to 2,312 (-5.0% change). The surname moved down 55 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,692 to #12,747.
FAQ
Veilleux surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Veilleux?
Name Census estimates that about 2,651 living Americans carry the surname Veilleux. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 129,292 residents.
How common is Veilleux?
Veilleux ranks #12,747 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.77 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 2,312 people with the surname Veilleux. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,651), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.77 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.77 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 Veilleux.
Has Veilleux become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Veilleux went from 2,433 recorded bearers to 2,312. That is a decrease of 121 (-5.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,692 to #12,747.
What does the Census say about the background of Veilleux?
Among Census respondents with the surname Veilleux, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Veilleux in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.4% (2,136 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Veilleux appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.4%), Hispanic (3.5%), Two or More Races (2.9%). 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 Veilleux (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 Veilleux mean?
Derived from the Old French word "veil" or "vieil," meaning "old" or "elder." 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 Veilleux (0.77 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 Americans have the surname Veilleux?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.