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

Chaffee, 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 Chaffee surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Chaffee in America

Chaffee is the 5729th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Chaffee surname appeared 6,053 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Chaffee.

We can also compare 2010 data for Chaffee 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 Chaffee

The surname Chaffee is of French origin, derived from the Old French word "chafaut," meaning "scaffold." It likely originated in the early medieval period when surnames were first adopted in France.

The name Chaffee is believed to have been an occupational surname, given to individuals who worked as builders or carpenters, specifically those who constructed scaffolding for construction projects. The earliest known record of the name dates back to the 13th century in the region of Normandy, France.

In England, the name appears in the Domesday Book of 1086 as "Chafaud," suggesting that individuals with this surname or a similar spelling may have arrived in England following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The name is also found in various medieval records and tax rolls throughout England and France.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Chaffee was Pierre Chaffee, a carpenter from Rouen, France, who lived in the late 13th century. Another notable figure was Jean Chaffee, a French architect who designed several churches in Paris during the 15th century.

In the United States, the Chaffee family can trace their roots back to Thomas Chaffee, who was born in England in 1611 and immigrated to Massachusetts Bay Colony in the 1630s. His descendants later settled in various parts of New England and played significant roles in the American Revolutionary War.

Notable individuals with the surname Chaffee include Adna Romanza Chaffee (1842-1914), a Union Army officer during the American Civil War and a recipient of the Medal of Honor. Adna's son, Adna Romanza Chaffee Jr. (1884-1941), was a decorated military officer who served as the Chief of Staff of the United States Army from 1930 to 1935.

Another prominent figure was Thomas C. Chaffee (1826-1892), a United States Senator from Colorado and a key figure in the development of the state's mining industry. Additionally, George R. Chaffee (1883-1954) was a United States Navy officer who served as the 16th Chief of Naval Operations from 1942 to 1945, during World War II.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Chaffee

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

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 Chaffee 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 Chaffee 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 Chaffee was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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