2000
#16,741
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,572
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.58
Rare Last name
Villeneuve
A French surname referring to a new village or town.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,835 Americans carry the last name Villeneuve. That puts it at #17,295 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.54 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 186,787 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Villeneuve 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
1.8K
1 in 186,787
Census rank
#17,295
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,600 bearers of the surname Villeneuve in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.54 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 17295th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Villeneuve, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.6%) and Hispanic (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Villeneuve
The surname VILLENEUVE originated in France, likely in the 12th century. It is derived from the French words "ville" meaning "town" and "neuve" meaning "new," essentially translating to "new town." This suggests the name was originally associated with someone who lived in or came from a newly established town or village.
One of the earliest known references to the name VILLENEUVE can be found in the Domesday Book, a manuscript commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. It recorded the name Vilanova, which is the Latin equivalent of VILLENEUVE, in various parts of England after the Norman conquest.
In the 13th century, the surname VILLENEUVE appeared in several historical records across France, such as the Cartulaire de l'Église de Grenoble (1235) and the Cartulaire de l'Abbaye de Savigny (1260). These documents mention individuals with the name VILLENEUVE residing in regions like Grenoble and Savigny.
Notable figures with the surname VILLENEUVE include Arnaud de Villeneuve (1238-1311), a renowned Catalan philosopher, astrologer, and alchemist. Another prominent figure was Hubert de Villeneuve (1270-1355), a French nobleman and military leader who fought in the Hundred Years' War.
In the 16th century, François de Villeneuve (1510-1557) was a French diplomat and historian who served as the ambassador to Rome. Around the same time, Pierre de Villeneuve (1515-1594) was a French mathematician and astronomer known for his contributions to trigonometry.
One of the most famous individuals with the surname VILLENEUVE was Philippe de Villiers de L'Isle-Adam (1464-1534), a French naval officer and the 44th Grand Master of the Knights Hospitaller. He played a crucial role in the defense of Rhodes against the Ottoman Empire.
Over the centuries, various spellings and variations of the name VILLENEUVE emerged, such as Villeneuve, Villeneufe, and Villanova, reflecting regional linguistic differences and adaptations. The name also became associated with certain place names, like Villeneuve-sur-Lot, a town in southwestern France, and Villeneuve-d'Ascq, a commune in northern France.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Villeneuve
Among Census respondents with the surname Villeneuve, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.6%) and Hispanic (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Villeneuve 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 Villeneuve surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.3% · 1,428
- Two or more races5.6% · 90
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 53
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 19
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 7
- Black or African American0.2% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Villeneuve
Villeneuve 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
#17,258
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,641
+69 bearers (+4.4%)
Per 100,000 0.56
Rank movement Down 517 places
2020
#17,295
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,600
-41 bearers (-2.5%)
Per 100,000 0.54
Rank movement Down 37 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #16,741 | 1,572 | 0.58 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #17,258 | 1,641 | 0.56 | +69 bearers (+4.4%) | Down 517 places |
| 2020 | #17,295 | 1,600 | 0.54 | -41 bearers (-2.5%) | Down 37 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 Villeneuve 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 | #17,258 | #17,295 | -0.2% |
| Count | 1,641 | 1,600 | -2.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.56 | 0.54 | -4.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Villeneuve bearers went from 1,641 to 1,600 (-2.5% change). The surname moved down 37 positions in the national ranking, going from #17,258 to #17,295.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Villeneuve
FAQ
Villeneuve surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Villeneuve?
Name Census estimates that about 1,835 living Americans carry the surname Villeneuve. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 186,787 residents.
How common is Villeneuve?
Villeneuve ranks #17,295 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.54 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 1,600 people with the surname Villeneuve. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,835), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.54 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.54 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 Villeneuve.
Has Villeneuve become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Villeneuve went from 1,641 recorded bearers to 1,600. That is a decrease of 41 (-2.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #17,258 to #17,295.
What does the Census say about the background of Villeneuve?
Among Census respondents with the surname Villeneuve, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.6%) and Hispanic (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 Villeneuve in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.3% (1,428 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Villeneuve appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.3%), Two or More Races (5.6%), Hispanic (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 Villeneuve (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 Villeneuve mean?
A French surname referring to a new village or town. 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 Villeneuve (0.54 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 common is the surname Villeneuve?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Villeneuve on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.