2000
#8,284
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,677
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.36
Rare Last name
Chabot
A French occupational surname for a boatman or ferryman, derived from the Old French word "chaable" meaning "cable."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,085 Americans carry the last name Chabot. That puts it at #8,830 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.19 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 83,906 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Chabot surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
4.1K
1 in 83,906
Census rank
#8,830
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,562 bearers of the surname Chabot in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.19 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8830th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Chabot, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Chabot
The surname Chabot has its origins in France and dates back to the early Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old French word "chabot," which referred to a small freshwater fish known as a bullhead. This suggests that the name may have originally been a nickname given to someone who resembled or bore some association with this fish.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Chabot can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of land ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The name appears as "Chabod" in this historical document, indicating its presence in Normandy, which was then part of the realm of the Norman rulers.
During the 12th century, the Chabot family became prominent landowners in the region of Poitou, located in western France. They held the seigneury (lordship) of Châteauneuf-sur-Charente and played a significant role in the local nobility. One notable member of the family was Geoffrey Chabot, who was appointed as a royal chamberlain by King Philip II of France in the late 12th century.
In the 14th century, the Chabot family expanded their influence and acquired additional lands in the nearby regions of Saintonge and Angoumois. During this time, variations in the spelling of the name emerged, including Chabod, Chaboz, and Chaboud. These variations likely reflect regional dialectal differences and the evolving nature of spelling conventions.
One of the most famous individuals bearing the Chabot surname was Philippe de Chabot (1492-1543), a French military leader and courtier during the reign of Francis I. He served as Admiral of France and played a crucial role in the Italian Wars against the Holy Roman Empire. His descendants continued to hold prominent positions in the French nobility for several generations.
Another notable figure was Jacques Chabot (1618-1668), a Jesuit missionary who traveled to Canada and worked among the indigenous populations in the region of New France (present-day Quebec and Ontario). His writings and observations provide valuable insights into the culture and customs of the First Nations people during the early colonial period.
In the 18th century, François Chabot (1756-1794) emerged as a prominent figure during the French Revolution. He was a member of the Jacobin Club and served as a deputy in the National Convention. However, he fell victim to the Reign of Terror and was executed by guillotine in 1794.
The Chabot surname has also been associated with various place names throughout France, such as Chabot-la-Ville, Chabot-Massonais, and Chabot-Charmant, reflecting the widespread distribution of the family and their influence on local geography.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Chabot
Among Census respondents with the surname Chabot, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Chabot bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Chabot surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.5% · 3,296
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 113
- Two or more races3.1% · 111
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 19
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 13
- Black or African American0.3% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Chabot
Chabot appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#8,676
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,787
+110 bearers (+3.0%)
Per 100,000 1.28
Rank movement Down 392 places
2020
#8,830
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,562
-225 bearers (-5.9%)
Per 100,000 1.19
Rank movement Down 154 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,284 | 3,677 | 1.36 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,676 | 3,787 | 1.28 | +110 bearers (+3.0%) | Down 392 places |
| 2020 | #8,830 | 3,562 | 1.19 | -225 bearers (-5.9%) | Down 154 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Chabot surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #8,676 | #8,830 | -1.8% |
| Count | 3,787 | 3,562 | -5.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.28 | 1.19 | -6.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Chabot bearers went from 3,787 to 3,562 (-5.9% change). The surname moved down 154 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,676 to #8,830.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Chabot
FAQ
Chabot surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Chabot?
Name Census estimates that about 4,085 living Americans carry the surname Chabot. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 83,906 residents.
How common is Chabot?
Chabot ranks #8,830 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.19 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,562 people with the surname Chabot. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,085), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.19 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.19 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Chabot.
Has Chabot become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Chabot went from 3,787 recorded bearers to 3,562. That is a decrease of 225 (-5.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,676 to #8,830.
What does the Census say about the background of Chabot?
Among Census respondents with the surname Chabot, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.2%) and Two or More Races (3.1%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Chabot in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.5% (3,296 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Chabot appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.5%), Hispanic (3.2%), Two or More Races (3.1%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Chabot (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Chabot mean?
A French occupational surname for a boatman or ferryman, derived from the Old French word "chaable" meaning "cable." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Chabot (1.19 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people are called Chabot?
If you just want to know how common the surname Chabot is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.