2000
#3,768
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,635
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.20
Rare Last name
Bourque
A French topographic surname referring to someone living near a birch grove or wooded area.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,754 Americans carry the last name Bourque. That puts it at #4,056 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.85 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 35,140 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Bourque 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
9.8K
1 in 35,140
Census rank
#4,056
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,506 bearers of the surname Bourque in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.85 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4056th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Bourque, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Bourque
The surname Bourque has its origins in France, specifically in the regions of Poitou and Saintonge. It is believed to have derived from the Old French word "borg," which meant a small village or hamlet. The name first appeared in written records during the 12th century.
One of the earliest known references to the Bourque name can be found in the Cartulaire de l'abbaye de Saint-Étienne de Vaux, a collection of medieval charters and documents from the monastery of Saint-Étienne de Vaux in Poitou. This document, dated around 1180, mentions a person named Petrus de Bourque.
In the 13th century, the name Bourque was also recorded in the Livre des Bourgeois de Niort, a register of the citizens of Niort, a town in the Poitou region. This record includes several individuals with variations of the name, such as Bourquet and Bourguet.
One notable figure with the surname Bourque was Jacques Bourque, a French explorer and cartographer who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. He was involved in mapping the coastlines of North America and is credited with producing some of the earliest detailed maps of the region.
Another historical figure was Jean-Baptiste Bourque, a French Catholic priest who lived in the 17th century. He served as a missionary in Canada and played a significant role in establishing the Catholic Church in the French colonies of North America.
In the 18th century, Louis Bourque, a French soldier and military engineer, gained prominence for his work on fortifications in the French colonies of the Caribbean. He was involved in the construction of several forts and defensive structures in the region.
During the same period, Marie-Madeleine Bourque, a French-Canadian woman, became known for her role in the defense of the town of Louisbourg during the Siege of Louisbourg in 1745. She is celebrated for her bravery and resilience in the face of the British attack.
In the 19th century, Émile Bourque, a French painter and illustrator, gained recognition for his works depicting scenes from rural France and everyday life. He was particularly celebrated for his etchings and engravings.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals who have borne the surname Bourque throughout history. The name has a rich heritage and has been carried by people from various walks of life, from explorers and soldiers to artists and religious figures.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Bourque
Among Census respondents with the surname Bourque, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (2.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Bourque 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 Bourque surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.0% · 7,914
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 271
- Two or more races2.2% · 191
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 54
- Black or African American0.5% · 46
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 30
Timeline
Historical Census data for Bourque
Bourque 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
#3,961
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,973
+338 bearers (+3.9%)
Per 100,000 3.04
Rank movement Down 193 places
2020
#4,056
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,506
-467 bearers (-5.2%)
Per 100,000 2.85
Rank movement Down 95 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,768 | 8,635 | 3.20 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,961 | 8,973 | 3.04 | +338 bearers (+3.9%) | Down 193 places |
| 2020 | #4,056 | 8,506 | 2.85 | -467 bearers (-5.2%) | Down 95 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 Bourque 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 | #3,961 | #4,056 | -2.4% |
| Count | 8,973 | 8,506 | -5.2% |
| Per 100K | 3.04 | 2.85 | -6.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Bourque bearers went from 8,973 to 8,506 (-5.2% change). The surname moved down 95 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,961 to #4,056.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Bourque
FAQ
Bourque surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Bourque?
Name Census estimates that about 9,754 living Americans carry the surname Bourque. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 35,140 residents.
How common is Bourque?
Bourque ranks #4,056 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.85 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,506 people with the surname Bourque. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,754), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.85 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.85 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Bourque.
Has Bourque become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Bourque went from 8,973 recorded bearers to 8,506. That is a decrease of 467 (-5.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,961 to #4,056.
What does the Census say about the background of Bourque?
Among Census respondents with the surname Bourque, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Bourque in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.0% (7,914 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Bourque appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.0%), Hispanic (3.2%), Two or More Races (2.2%). 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 Bourque (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 Bourque mean?
A French topographic surname referring to someone living near a birch grove or wooded area. 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 Bourque (2.85 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 have the last name Bourque?
See how many people have the last name Bourque on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.