Explore the Family Name Badeau

The meaning of Badeau

French: 1. variant of Badaud, from the ancient Germanic personal name Badwald, composed of the elements bad (from badhuo) ‘battle’ + wald ‘rule, power’. 2. (southern): unflattering nickname from Occitan badau ‘stupid, gullible’, a derivative of badar ‘to be open-mouthed, to gape’. Compare Badeaux. History: Jacques Badeau/Badeaux from La Rochelle in France is documented in Quebec City, QC, in 1651. — This is the name of a French Huguenot family in Tarrytown, NY, one of whose members, Adam Badeau (1831–95) was a writer and officer on General Grant’s staff in the Civil War. The name is listed in the (US) National Huguenot Society’s register of qualified Huguenot ancestors and also in the similar register of the Huguenot Society of America. Some characteristic forenames: French Marcel, Francois, Laurent, Normand.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Badeau in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Badeau increased in popularity from 2000 to 2010. In 2000, Badeau was the 51,119th most popular surname, but by 2010 it had risen to become the 40,909th most common name, a change of nearly 20%. The number of individuals with this surname also grew substantially during this period. In 2000, there were 383 recorded instances of the surname, and by 2010, that number had increased to 533 - a jump of more than 39%. The proportion of people with this surname per 100,000 also saw an uptick from 0.14 in 2000 to 0.18 in 2010.

20002010Change
Rank#51,119#40,90919.97%
Count38353339.16%
Proportion per 100k0.140.1828.57%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Badeau

Considering ethnicity, the data from the Decennial U.S. Census indicates some interesting shifts between 2000 and 2010. The percentage of Badeaus identifying as white decreased from 91.12% to 81.24%, a drop of almost 11%. On the other hand, those identifying as Black saw a significant increase from 5.48% to 12.01%. The representation of Badeaus identifying as Hispanic also slightly increased from 1.83% to 2.25%. The census started recording individuals who identified with two or more races in 2010, with 2.25% of Badeaus falling into this category. There was no recorded change for those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander or American Indian and Alaskan Native.

20002010Change
White91.12%81.24%-10.84%
Black5.48%12.01%119.16%
Two or More Races0%2.25%0%
Hispanic1.83%2.25%22.95%
Asian/Pacific Islander0%0%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%0%0%