2000
#74,164
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 243
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.09
Very Rare Last name
Dardenne
A French surname derived from the region of Ardennes in northeastern France.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 305 Americans carry the last name Dardenne. That puts it at #77,676 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.09 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,123,785 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dardenne 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
305
1 in 1,123,785
Census rank
#77,676
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
266
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 266 bearers of the surname Dardenne in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.09 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 77676th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dardenne, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.3%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Dardenne
The surname Dardenne originated in France, specifically in the northern region of Artois. It can be traced back to the early medieval period, around the 10th or 11th century. The name is derived from the Old French word "dard," meaning "dart" or "arrow." This suggests that the earliest bearers of this surname may have been skilled archers or soldiers who used bows and arrows.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Dardenne can be found in the Cartulaire de l'Abbaye de Saint-Vaast d'Arras, a medieval manuscript dating back to the 12th century. This document mentions a certain "Robertus Dardenne" from the village of Dainville, near Arras.
In the 13th century, the name appears in the Taille de Tournai, a tax roll from the city of Tournai, which was then part of the County of Flanders. This record lists several individuals with the surname Dardenne, indicating that the name was well-established in the region by that time.
During the Renaissance period, a notable figure bearing the Dardenne name was Jean Dardenne, a French poet and playwright who lived in the 16th century (c. 1510-1580). He was known for his works inspired by classical mythology and his contributions to the development of French Renaissance literature.
Another prominent individual was François Dardenne (1677-1743), a French architect and engineer who worked on various projects in Paris and other parts of France during the reign of Louis XIV and Louis XV.
In the 19th century, Edmond Dardenne (1834-1911) was a Belgian lawyer and politician who served as the Minister of Justice and Education in Belgium from 1895 to 1899.
The surname also spread beyond France to other parts of Europe, including Belgium, where it became well-established. One notable Belgian bearer of the name was the Dardenne brothers, Jean-Pierre (born 1951) and Luc (born 1954), renowned filmmakers known for their socially conscious and naturalistic films, such as "Rosetta" and "The Child."
While the Dardenne surname has its roots in northern France, it has since been carried by individuals across various countries and continents, with bearers of this name making significant contributions in various fields throughout history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dardenne
Among Census respondents with the surname Dardenne, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.3%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Dardenne 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 Dardenne surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.4% · 243
- Two or more races5.3% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.6% · 7
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dardenne
Dardenne 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
#77,522
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 247
+4 bearers (+1.6%)
Per 100,000 0.08
Rank movement Down 3,358 places
2020
#77,676
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 266
+19 bearers (+7.7%)
Per 100,000 0.09
Rank movement Down 154 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #74,164 | 243 | 0.09 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #77,522 | 247 | 0.08 | +4 bearers (+1.6%) | Down 3,358 places |
| 2020 | #77,676 | 266 | 0.09 | +19 bearers (+7.7%) | Down 154 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 Dardenne 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 | #77,522 | #77,676 | -0.2% |
| Count | 247 | 266 | 7.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.08 | 0.09 | 11.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dardenne bearers went from 247 to 266 (+7.7% change). The surname moved down 154 positions in the national ranking, going from #77,522 to #77,676.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Dardenne
FAQ
Dardenne surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dardenne?
Name Census estimates that about 305 living Americans carry the surname Dardenne. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,123,785 residents.
How common is Dardenne?
Dardenne ranks #77,676 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.09 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 266 people with the surname Dardenne. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (305), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.09 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.09 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 Dardenne.
Has Dardenne become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dardenne went from 247 recorded bearers to 266. That is an increase of 19 (+7.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #77,522 to #77,676.
What does the Census say about the background of Dardenne?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dardenne, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.3%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.6%). 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 Dardenne in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.4% (243 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dardenne appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.4%), Two or More Races (5.3%), American Indian/Alaska Native (2.6%). 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 Dardenne (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 Dardenne mean?
A French surname derived from the region of Ardennes in northeastern France. 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 Dardenne (0.09 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 Dardenne?
See how many Americans have the surname Dardenne on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.