2000
#149,328
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Chadee
A surname originating from India, potentially derived from the Sanskrit word "chad" meaning to cover or shield.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 126 Americans carry the last name Chadee. That puts it at #149,446 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,720,273 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Chadee 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
126
1 in 2,720,273
Census rank
#149,446
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
110
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 110 bearers of the surname Chadee in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 149446th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Chadee, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 32.7%. The next largest groups are Black (28.2%) and Two or More Races (18.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Chadee
The surname CHADEE is believed to have originated from the Indian subcontinent, specifically in the regions of modern-day India and Pakistan. It is thought to have derived from the Sanskrit language, with roots that can be traced back to ancient times.
One of the earliest known references to the name CHADEE can be found in the ancient Hindu texts, the Vedas, where it is mentioned as a form of address or title bestowed upon individuals from certain communities or castes. The name is said to have been associated with those engaged in occupations related to agriculture, animal husbandry, or textile production.
In the medieval period, the name CHADEE appeared in various historical records and manuscripts, particularly those documenting trade and commerce in the region. It is believed that individuals with this surname may have been involved in the lucrative textile and spice trade that flourished during this time.
One notable historical figure bearing the name CHADEE was Rani Chadee Devi, a 16th-century queen of the Chandela dynasty, who ruled over parts of present-day Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh in India. She is renowned for her patronage of the arts, particularly architecture, and for the construction of several temples and monuments.
In the 18th century, a prominent scholar and philosopher named Raja Ram Chadee gained recognition for his contributions to the field of traditional Indian medicine and his treatises on Ayurvedic practices.
As the Indian diaspora spread across the globe, the surname CHADEE traveled with them, taking root in various countries and regions. One such example is Anand Chadee, a South African writer and activist of Indian descent, born in 1935, who played a significant role in the anti-apartheid movement and the promotion of human rights.
During the 19th and early 20th centuries, several individuals with the surname CHADEE made their mark in various fields, including Govind Chadee (1856-1932), a renowned artist and painter from Punjab, and Narayan Chadee (1890-1968), a pioneering economist and educator who contributed to the development of modern economic theory in India.
While the origins of the surname CHADEE can be traced back to ancient times, its presence and significance have endured throughout history, spanning continents and cultures, and leaving an indelible mark across diverse fields of endeavor.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Chadee
Among Census respondents with the surname Chadee, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 32.7%. The next largest groups are Black (28.2%) and Two or More Races (18.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Chadee 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 Chadee surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander32.7% · 36
- Black or African American28.2% · 31
- Two or more races18.2% · 20
- Hispanic or Latino14.5% · 16
- White4.5% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Chadee
Chadee 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
#156,044
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
+3 bearers (+3.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,716 places
2020
#149,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
+6 bearers (+5.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 6,598 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #149,328 | 101 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #156,044 | 104 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+3.0%) | Down 6,716 places |
| 2020 | #149,446 | 110 | 0.04 | +6 bearers (+5.8%) | Up 6,598 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 Chadee 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 | #156,044 | #149,446 | 4.2% |
| Count | 104 | 110 | 5.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Chadee bearers went from 104 to 110 (+5.8% change). The surname moved up 6,598 positions in the national ranking, going from #156,044 to #149,446.
FAQ
Chadee surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Chadee?
Name Census estimates that about 126 living Americans carry the surname Chadee. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,720,273 residents.
How common is Chadee?
Chadee ranks #149,446 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 110 people with the surname Chadee. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (126), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Chadee.
Has Chadee become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Chadee went from 104 recorded bearers to 110. That is an increase of 6 (+5.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #156,044 to #149,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Chadee?
Among Census respondents with the surname Chadee, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 32.7%. The next largest groups are Black (28.2%) and Two or More Races (18.2%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Chadee in the 2020 Census, accounting for 32.7% (36 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Chadee appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (32.7%), Black (28.2%), Two or More Races (18.2%). 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 Chadee (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 Chadee mean?
A surname originating from India, potentially derived from the Sanskrit word "chad" meaning to cover or shield. 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 Chadee (0.04 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 share the surname Chadee?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.