2010
#153,769
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Villaume
French surname derived from the Germanic personal name "Willehelm", meaning "will" and "helmet".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Villaume. That puts it at #142,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,520,252 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Villaume 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
136
1 in 2,520,252
Census rank
#142,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
119
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 119 bearers of the surname Villaume in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Villaume, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.2%. The next largest groups are Black (5.0%) and Hispanic (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Villaume
The surname Villaume is of French origin and can be traced back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old French words "ville" meaning village or town, and "aumón" meaning leader or governor. The name was likely first adopted by someone who held a position of authority or leadership in a particular town or village.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Villaume can be found in the Domesday Book, a manuscript record of landholders in England compiled in 1086 under the orders of William the Conqueror. In this document, a person named Radulfus Villaume is listed as holding land in the county of Hertfordshire.
During the 13th century, a notable figure named Jean Villaume was a prominent merchant and alderman in the city of Paris. He was involved in the trade of fine textiles and played an influential role in the city's guild system.
In the 15th century, a man named Pierre Villaume was a renowned painter and sculptor in the Burgundian court. He was commissioned to create several works for the Dukes of Burgundy, including altarpieces and decorative sculptures for royal residences.
One of the most famous bearers of the Villaume name was François Villaume, a French Jesuit missionary who lived from 1622 to 1698. He spent many years in New France (now Canada) and was instrumental in establishing Jesuit missions among the Indigenous peoples of the region.
Another individual of note was the 18th-century French philosopher and writer, Louis Villaume. Born in 1737, he authored several influential works on political theory and social reform, advocating for greater individual liberties and critiquing the excesses of the French monarchy.
The name Villaume has also been associated with various place names throughout France, such as Villaumé in the department of Haute-Marne, and Villamée in the department of Aube. These locations likely derived their names from the same linguistic roots as the surname itself.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Villaume
Among Census respondents with the surname Villaume, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.2%. The next largest groups are Black (5.0%) and Hispanic (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Villaume 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 Villaume surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.2% · 105
- Black or African American5.0% · 6
- Hispanic or Latino4.2% · 5
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Villaume
Villaume appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
+13 bearers (+12.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 10,981 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #153,769 | 106 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | +13 bearers (+12.3%) | Up 10,981 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 Villaume 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 | #153,769 | #142,788 | 7.1% |
| Count | 106 | 119 | 12.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -0.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Villaume bearers went from 106 to 119 (+12.3% change). The surname moved up 10,981 positions in the national ranking, going from #153,769 to #142,788.
FAQ
Villaume surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Villaume?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Villaume. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Villaume?
Villaume ranks #142,788 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 119 people with the surname Villaume. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (136), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Villaume.
Has Villaume become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Villaume went from 106 recorded bearers to 119. That is an increase of 13 (+12.3%). In the national ranking it rose from #153,769 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Villaume?
Among Census respondents with the surname Villaume, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.2%. The next largest groups are Black (5.0%) and Hispanic (4.2%). 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 Villaume in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.2% (105 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Villaume appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.2%), Black (5.0%), Hispanic (4.2%). 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 Villaume (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 Villaume mean?
French surname derived from the Germanic personal name "Willehelm", meaning "will" and "helmet". 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 Villaume (0.04 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 Villaume?
Find out how common the surname Villaume is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.