2000
#14,321
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,919
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.71
Rare Last name
Chace
An English occupational surname referring to a person who hunts or manages the hunting of game animals.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,074 Americans carry the last name Chace. That puts it at #15,558 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.61 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 165,262 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Chace 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
2.1K
1 in 165,262
Census rank
#15,558
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,809 bearers of the surname Chace in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.61 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15558th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Chace, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Chace
The surname CHACE is believed to have originated in England, arising in the medieval period between the 11th and 15th centuries. The name is derived from the Old English word "chace," which referred to a hunting ground or an enclosed area for hunting game.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landowners and property holdings in England completed in 1086 under the order of William the Conqueror. This record mentions a landowner named Richard de la Chace, likely referring to his association with a particular hunting ground or chase.
During the Middle Ages, the CHACE surname was predominantly found in the counties of Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, and Somerset in southwestern England. These areas were known for their extensive forests and hunting grounds, which may have contributed to the prevalence of the name in those regions.
The surname also has connections to various place names in England, such as Chase End in Staffordshire, Chase Terrace in Walsall, and Chase Valley in Hampshire. These place names reflect the original meaning of the word "chase" and may have influenced the development of the surname.
Notable individuals with the surname CHACE include:
1. Richard CHACE (c. 1540 - 1611), an English Puritan who emigrated to America and became one of the founders of the Boston colony.
2. Thomas CHACE (1627 - 1692), an English colonist and landowner in Rhode Island, considered one of the founders of the town of Warwick.
3. Samuel CHACE (1683 - 1765), an American merchant and landowner from Massachusetts, who served as a deputy to the Massachusetts General Court.
4. Elizabeth Buffum CHACE (1806 - 1899), an American activist and abolitionist, known for her work in the anti-slavery and women's rights movements.
5. William Merritt CHACE (1851 - 1926), an American lawyer and politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Rhode Island.
Throughout its history, the surname CHACE has maintained its connection to the concept of hunting grounds and enclosed areas, reflecting the origins of the name in medieval England.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Chace
Among Census respondents with the surname Chace, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Chace 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 Chace surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.6% · 1,657
- Hispanic or Latino4.1% · 75
- Two or more races2.8% · 51
- Black or African American0.8% · 14
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Chace
Chace 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
#14,636
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,033
+114 bearers (+5.9%)
Per 100,000 0.69
Rank movement Down 315 places
2020
#15,558
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,809
-224 bearers (-11.0%)
Per 100,000 0.61
Rank movement Down 922 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,321 | 1,919 | 0.71 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,636 | 2,033 | 0.69 | +114 bearers (+5.9%) | Down 315 places |
| 2020 | #15,558 | 1,809 | 0.61 | -224 bearers (-11.0%) | Down 922 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 Chace 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 | #14,636 | #15,558 | -6.3% |
| Count | 2,033 | 1,809 | -11.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.69 | 0.61 | -12.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Chace bearers went from 2,033 to 1,809 (-11.0% change). The surname moved down 922 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,636 to #15,558.
FAQ
Chace surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Chace?
Name Census estimates that about 2,074 living Americans carry the surname Chace. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 165,262 residents.
How common is Chace?
Chace ranks #15,558 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.61 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 1,809 people with the surname Chace. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,074), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.61 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.61 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 Chace.
Has Chace become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Chace went from 2,033 recorded bearers to 1,809. That is a decrease of 224 (-11.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #14,636 to #15,558.
What does the Census say about the background of Chace?
Among Census respondents with the surname Chace, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Chace in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.6% (1,657 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Chace appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.6%), Hispanic (4.1%), Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Chace (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 Chace mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a person who hunts or manages the hunting of game animals. 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 Chace (0.61 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 have the surname Chace?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.