Explore the Family Name Voltaire
The meaning of Voltaire
French and West Indian (mainly Haiti): nickname from a pen name of the famous French writer and philosopher François-Marie Arouet alias Voltaire, which is the anagram of the Latinized spelling of his surname, AROVET, and the initial letters LI of le jeune ‘the young’. This surname is very rare in France. It was brought to the US mainly from Haiti.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Voltaire in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname "Voltaire" has seen a marked increase in popularity from 2000 to 2010. Its rank among all surnames improved significantly from 33,735th place in 2000 to 24,554th place in 2010, an upward change of 27.22%. Furthermore, the count of individuals with this surname rose from 637 to 1,018 during this decade, a growth rate of nearly 60%. The proportion of people named Voltaire per 100,000 also increased by 45.83%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #33,735 | #24,554 | 27.22% |
| Count | 637 | 1,018 | 59.81% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.24 | 0.35 | 45.83% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Voltaire
The ethnicity associated with the surname "Voltaire" also shifted notably between 2000 and 2010 according to the Decennial U.S. Census data. A majority of individuals with this surname identified as Black, with that demographic group increasing slightly from 82.26% to 86.25%. Meanwhile, the number of people identifying as Hispanic almost doubled, rising from 2.51% to 4.62%. Those identifying as White or belonging to two or more races both saw declines, falling from 5.49% to 5.01% and from 9.42% to 3.24%, respectively. No individuals with the surname claimed Asian/Pacific Islander or American Indian and Alaskan Native ethnicities during either census period.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black | 82.26% | 86.25% | 4.85% |
| White | 5.49% | 5.01% | -8.74% |
| Hispanic | 2.51% | 4.62% | 84.06% |
| Two or More Races | 9.42% | 3.24% | -65.61% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0% | 0% | 0% |