Explore the Family Name Papillon

The meaning of Papillon

1. French and English: from Old French papillon (from Latin papilio), Middle English papillioun ‘butterfly’, perhaps used as a nickname for a flighty individual. 2. Haitian: from the personal name or nickname Papillon, which has the same meaning as 1 above. History: The surname Papillon of French origin is listed in the register of Huguenot ancestors recognized by the Huguenot Society of America.

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

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

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Papillon has seen a rise in popularity from 2000 to 2010. In the year 2000, the rank of this surname was 58,130 and by 2010, it had improved to 54,864. This suggests an approximate increase of 5.62%. Similarly, the count of people with this surname also saw a substantial rise of 14.68%, moving from 327 in 2000 to 375 in 2010. The proportion of individuals with this surname per 100k also increased by 8.33%, from 0.12 in 2000 to 0.13 in 2010.

20002010Change
Rank#58,130#54,8645.62%
Count32737514.68%
Proportion per 100k0.120.138.33%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Papillon

In terms of ethnicity, the Decennial U.S. Census data shows that there have been some shifts within the Papillon surname bearers from 2000 to 2010. The percentage of individuals identifying as White remained relatively stable with a slight decrease of 0.53%, from 45.57% in 2000 to 45.33% in 2010. The representation of Black individuals increased by 11.38%, from 41.90% in 2000 to 46.67% in 2010. The percentage of those identifying with two or more races decreased significantly by 57.56%, from 11.31% in 2000 to 4.80% in 2010. Also worth noting is that while there were no Hispanic individuals with the Papillon surname in 2000, by 2010 they made up 2.13% of the population with this surname. Meanwhile, there were no recorded Asian/Pacific Islander or American Indian and Alaskan Native individuals with this surname in either 2000 or 2010.

20002010Change
Black41.9%46.67%11.38%
White45.57%45.33%-0.53%
Two or More Races11.31%4.8%-57.56%
Hispanic0%2.13%0%
Asian/Pacific Islander0%0%0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%0%0%