Explore the Family Name Esperance

The meaning of Esperance

1. Haitian (Espérance): nickname from French espérance ‘hope’. Compare Lesperance. 2. French (Espérance): from the female personal name Espérance, meaning hope in French, being translated from the Latin name Sperantia. In France, this surname is rare, found mainly in Pyrénées-Atlantiques.

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

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

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname 'Esperance' has significantly increased from 2000 to 2010. In 2000, Esperance was ranked 88,083 and by 2010, it had risen to rank 57,101, demonstrating a change of around 35.17 percent. This surge in popularity also reflects in the count of individuals bearing this surname, which went up from 196 to 357, marking an impressive growth of 82.14 percent during the same period. Therefore, the proportion of people with the surname Esperance per 100k also rose substantially by 71.43 percent from 0.07 to 0.12 in those ten years.

20002010Change
Rank#88,083#57,10135.17%
Count19635782.14%
Proportion per 100k0.070.1271.43%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Esperance

Looking at the ethnicity distribution for the surname Esperance as per the Decennial U.S. Census data, it is evident that there have been some notable shifts between 2000 and 2010. The most significant transformation can be seen in the Black community, where the percentage has increased by approximately 38.26 percent from 56.12 to 77.59. This suggests that more individuals identifying as Black have started carrying the surname Esperance. Conversely, there were reductions in percentages among White, Hispanic, and people of two or more races, with changes of -41.34, -36.65, and -75.04 respectively. Interestingly, while no Asian/Pacific Islander bore the name in 2000, there was a slight emergence of 2.24 percent in 2010. The American Indian and Alaskan Native communities, however, did not exhibit any change, remaining at zero for both years.

20002010Change
Black56.12%77.59%38.26%
White22.45%13.17%-41.34%
Hispanic6.63%4.2%-36.65%
Two or More Races11.22%2.8%-75.04%
Asian/Pacific Islander0%2.24%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%0%0%