The 10 Most Popular Cajun Last Names Of Louisiana
A rose by an other name would smell as sweet...but would a Cajun by any other name still get down with some crawfish and boudin? Actually, they probably would. Because Cajun food is just too good.
Anyway, when it comes to Cajun names, Louisiana leads the nations (of course). But did you know, the roots of Cajun names are actually well to our north? According to Genealogy Bank:
"Acadia spread across Maritime Canada, but also Quebec and parts of Maine. Henceforth called Acadians, these early French settlers lived peacefully alongside the Wabanaki Confederacy, a collective of Native American nations that had banded together in the area.
How did the Acadians move from all the way up North down to Louisiana? The ultimate cause was due to rising political tensions between the British and the French, twin rulers of the region. Acadians refused to take the oath of unconditional allegiance to the British Crown and resisted British rule for 45 years with support from the Wabanaki Confederacy, who helped them by conducting raids."
So after the migrations of Cajuns generations ago, which of those Cajun clans is most dominant in the state right now? Well according to the site Forebears.io, here are the Top 10, and how frequent you'll come across the name:
1. Hebert - 1:236
2. Landry - 1:246
3. Broussard - 1:272
4. LeBlanc -1:282
5. Guidry - 1:320
6. Fontenot - 1:332
7. Boudreaux - 1:372
8. Richard - 1:374
9. Thibodeaux - 1:479
10. Breaux - 1:502
Now, for reference, the most common last name in the whole state is Smith. The frequency of finding a "Smith" in the state is 1:91 people. In overall last names, Hebert is a TOP 10 in the whole state. It ranks higher than common last names like Miller, Taylor, White, Harris, and Martin.