Explore the Family Name Kerouac
The meaning of Kerouac
French Canadian (of Breton origin; also Kérouac): topographic name shortened and altered from the French title sieur de Kervoac, which refers to the placename Kervoac in Finistère, Brittany (France), composed of Breton ker ‘village’ (originally ‘enclosure’) and gwak ‘soft (soil)’. The surname Kerouac is rare in Canada. Compare Keroack and Kirouac. History: The progenitor of the Kerouacs and Kirouacs was Urbain-François Le Bihan, sieur de Kervoac, from Huelgoat in Brittany, who settled in QC in 1722. Because of tarnished reputation he soon changed his identity and was recorded with two different aliases (with several variants): Alexandre (Le Bihan) de Kervoac(h) and Baron Le Bris de Kervoac(h). He was buried as Alexandre Keloaque. One of his descendants was the famous American novelist Jack Kerouac (1922–69).
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Kerouac in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Kerouac has seen an increase between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, Kerouac was ranked as the 126,400th most popular surname and by 2010 it had risen in rank to 111,988th. This equates to an 11.4 percent growth in popularity over that decade. The count of people with the Kerouac surname also grew from 125 in 2000 to 157 in 2010, marking a significant increase of 25.6 percent. However, the proportion of individuals with this surname per 100,000 people remained constant at 0.05 across both years.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #126,400 | #111,988 | 11.4% |
| Count | 125 | 157 | 25.6% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.05 | 0.05 | 0% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Kerouac
The ethnic identity associated with the surname Kerouac, according to the Decennial U.S. Census, is predominantly White. In 2000, approximately 98.4 percent of those bearing the Kerouac name identified as White, which slightly decreased to 96.18 percent by 2010. During these two census years, no people with the Kerouac surname identified as Asian/Pacific Islander, Black, Hispanic, or American Indian and Alaskan Native. Additionally, there were no individuals who identified with two or more races.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 98.4% | 96.18% | -2.26% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Two or More Races | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Hispanic | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Black | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0% | 0% | 0% |