2000
#9,105
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,299
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.22
Rare Last name
Violette
A French surname derived from the flower violet, likely referring to a person who grew or sold violets.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,573 Americans carry the last name Violette. That puts it at #9,891 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 95,929 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Violette 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
3.6K
1 in 95,929
Census rank
#9,891
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,116 bearers of the surname Violette in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9891st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Violette, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Violette
The surname Violette is of French origin and dates back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Old French word "violette," meaning "violet," which was used as a nickname for someone with violet-colored eyes or someone who cultivated or sold violets.
In the 12th century, the spelling of the name was recorded as "Violete" in the ancient records of Normandy, France. It is believed that the name may have originated in this region, where the cultivation of violets was common.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in the 13th-century Cartulaire de Redon, a collection of medieval charters and documents from the Abbey of Redon in Brittany, France. Here, the name appears as "Violete" in reference to a landowner.
During the 14th century, the name was also mentioned in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landholdings and wealth in England. This suggests that the name was carried to England by Norman settlers after the conquest of 1066.
In the 15th century, the name appears in various records in the form of "Viollette" and "Viollet." One notable bearer of the name was Jean Violette (c. 1440-1500), a French composer and music theorist who served as the master of the choirboys at the Cathedral of Cambrai.
Another prominent figure with the surname Violette was François Violette (1672-1731), a French architect and engineer who designed several notable buildings in Paris, including the Church of Saint-Louis-en-l'Île and the Hôtel de Ville (City Hall).
In the 18th century, the name was found in the form "Viollet" in the records of the Huguenot refugees who fled religious persecution in France and settled in various parts of Europe and America.
One notable bearer of the name from this era was Pierre Viollet (1714-1799), a French architect and urban planner who was responsible for the design of numerous buildings and urban developments in Paris.
In the 19th century, the name was recorded in various forms, including "Violette," "Viollet," and "Viollette." One notable figure with this surname was Eugène Viollet-le-Duc (1814-1879), a French architect and author who was a prominent figure in the Gothic Revival movement and restored many historic buildings in France.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Violette
Among Census respondents with the surname Violette, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Violette 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 Violette surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.1% · 2,838
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 117
- Two or more races2.9% · 91
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 29
- Black or African American0.9% · 28
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 13
Timeline
Historical Census data for Violette
Violette 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
#9,529
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,411
+112 bearers (+3.4%)
Per 100,000 1.16
Rank movement Down 424 places
2020
#9,891
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,116
-295 bearers (-8.6%)
Per 100,000 1.04
Rank movement Down 362 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,105 | 3,299 | 1.22 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,529 | 3,411 | 1.16 | +112 bearers (+3.4%) | Down 424 places |
| 2020 | #9,891 | 3,116 | 1.04 | -295 bearers (-8.6%) | Down 362 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 Violette 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 | #9,529 | #9,891 | -3.8% |
| Count | 3,411 | 3,116 | -8.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.16 | 1.04 | -10.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Violette bearers went from 3,411 to 3,116 (-8.6% change). The surname moved down 362 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,529 to #9,891.
FAQ
Violette surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Violette?
Name Census estimates that about 3,573 living Americans carry the surname Violette. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 95,929 residents.
How common is Violette?
Violette ranks #9,891 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.04 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 3,116 people with the surname Violette. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,573), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.04 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 Violette.
Has Violette become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Violette went from 3,411 recorded bearers to 3,116. That is a decrease of 295 (-8.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,529 to #9,891.
What does the Census say about the background of Violette?
Among Census respondents with the surname Violette, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) 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 Violette in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.1% (2,838 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Violette appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.1%), Hispanic (3.8%), 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 Violette (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 Violette mean?
A French surname derived from the flower violet, likely referring to a person who grew or sold violets. 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 Violette (1.04 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 share the surname Violette?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.