2000
#72,466
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 250
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.09
Very Rare Last name
Modine
From a French surname meaning "from Modine", a town in northeastern France.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 295 Americans carry the last name Modine. That puts it at #79,808 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.09 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,161,879 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Modine 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
295
1 in 1,161,879
Census rank
#79,808
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
257
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 257 bearers of the surname Modine in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.09 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 79808th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Modine, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.7%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Modine
The surname Modine is believed to have originated in France, with the earliest recorded instances dating back to the late 16th century. It is thought to be a variation of the French surname Modin or Modine, which itself is derived from the Old French word "motte," meaning a small hill or mound. This suggests that the name may have been initially applied to someone who lived near or on such a geographical feature.
In the region of Normandy, France, there are several place names that incorporate the root "motte," such as Mottevillers and Motteville. It is possible that the Modine surname arose in one of these areas and was later adopted by families who migrated to other parts of France or Europe.
One of the earliest known bearers of the Modine name was Jean Modine, who was born in the village of Coucy-le-Château, Aisne, France, in 1592. Records show that he worked as a farmer and lived in the area until his death in 1657.
Another notable figure with the Modine surname was Pierre Modine, a French soldier who fought in the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648). He was born in Sedan, Ardennes, in 1610 and served under the command of Prince Frederick Henry of Orange. Pierre Modine died in battle near the city of Rocroi in 1643.
In the 18th century, a family by the name of Modine settled in the town of Lunéville, Meurthe-et-Moselle, France. One member of this family, Jacques Modine (1732-1796), became a respected clockmaker and watchmaker in the region.
As the Modine surname spread across Europe, it also made its way to England, where it appeared in various spelling variations, such as Modine, Modyn, and Modine. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in England is found in the parish records of St. Mary's Church, Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, where a man named William Modyn was mentioned in 1611.
Another notable bearer of the Modine surname was Sir Thomas Modine (1688-1762), an English landowner and Member of Parliament who represented the borough of Bramber in Sussex from 1722 to 1727.
While the Modine name has its roots in France, it has since spread to other parts of the world, with bearers of the surname found in countries such as the United States, Canada, and Australia.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Modine
Among Census respondents with the surname Modine, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.7%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Modine 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 Modine surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.5% · 225
- Hispanic or Latino4.7% · 12
- Two or more races4.3% · 11
- Black or African American2.3% · 6
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Modine
Modine 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
#86,005
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 217
-33 bearers (-13.2%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Down 13,539 places
2020
#79,808
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 257
+40 bearers (+18.4%)
Per 100,000 0.09
Rank movement Up 6,197 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #72,466 | 250 | 0.09 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #86,005 | 217 | 0.07 | -33 bearers (-13.2%) | Down 13,539 places |
| 2020 | #79,808 | 257 | 0.09 | +40 bearers (+18.4%) | Up 6,197 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 Modine 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 | #86,005 | #79,808 | 7.2% |
| Count | 217 | 257 | 18.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.07 | 0.09 | 22.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Modine bearers went from 217 to 257 (+18.4% change). The surname moved up 6,197 positions in the national ranking, going from #86,005 to #79,808.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Modine
FAQ
Modine surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Modine?
Name Census estimates that about 295 living Americans carry the surname Modine. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,161,879 residents.
How common is Modine?
Modine ranks #79,808 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 257 people with the surname Modine. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (295), 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 Modine.
Has Modine become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Modine went from 217 recorded bearers to 257. That is an increase of 40 (+18.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #86,005 to #79,808.
What does the Census say about the background of Modine?
Among Census respondents with the surname Modine, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.7%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Modine in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.5% (225 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Modine appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.5%), Hispanic (4.7%), Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Modine (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 Modine mean?
From a French surname meaning "from Modine", a town 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 Modine (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 many people share the surname Modine?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.