Find out how popular the last name Chadwick is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Chadwick.

Chadwick, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Chadwick surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Chadwick in America

Chadwick is the 2222nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Chadwick surname appeared 16,415 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 6 people would have the surname Chadwick.

We can also compare 2010 data for Chadwick to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Chadwick

The surname Chadwick originates from the Old English language and can be traced back to the regions of Lancashire and Yorkshire in England during the late 11th century. It is derived from two words, "ceade" meaning "valley" and "wic" meaning "dwelling" or "village". The earliest recorded spelling of the name was "Cadewic" in the Domesday Book of 1086, referring to a place name in the region.

Chadwick is primarily a locational surname, indicating that the original bearers of the name hailed from a settlement or village situated in a valley. The name evolved over time, with variations such as Chadwyck, Chadwicke, and Chadwyk appearing in historical records.

One of the earliest documented references to the name is found in the Pipe Rolls of Lancashire from 1176, where a Robert de Chadewic is mentioned. In the 13th century, a William de Chadwyk appears in the Assize Court Rolls of Yorkshire in 1285.

During the Middle Ages, the Chadwick family established themselves as prominent landowners and gentry in Lancashire and Yorkshire. Notable individuals from this period include Sir Andrew Chadwick (c. 1390-1460), a prominent knight who fought in the Wars of the Roses, and Thomas Chadwick (c. 1510-1580), a wealthy merchant and landowner in Lancashire.

In the 16th and 17th centuries, the name continued to be well-represented in the region, with several Chadwicks serving as local officials and members of the gentry class. One notable figure was John Chadwick (1572-1648), a successful lawyer and Member of Parliament for Lancashire during the reign of King Charles I.

As the British Empire expanded, the Chadwick name spread to other parts of the world, including North America and Australia. Sir Edwin Chadwick (1800-1890), a renowned social reformer and pioneer of public health, was an influential figure in Victorian England and played a significant role in improving sanitation and living conditions for the working class.

Other notable individuals with the surname Chadwick include James Chadwick (1891-1974), a Nobel Prize-winning physicist who discovered the neutron, and Lynn Chadwick (1914-2003), a renowned British sculptor known for his abstract metal sculptures.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Chadwick

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Chadwick.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Chadwick was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Chadwick has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Chadwick was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Chadwick, please contact us.

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