2000
#8,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,471
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.29
Rare Last name
Chafin
An occupational surname referring to a merchant or trader dealing in wares and goods.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,926 Americans carry the last name Chafin. That puts it at #9,158 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.15 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 87,304 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Chafin 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
3.9K
1 in 87,304
Census rank
#9,158
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,424 bearers of the surname Chafin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.15 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9158th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Chafin, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Chafin
The surname Chafin is believed to have originated in England, derived from the Old English words "caf" meaning chaff, and "fen" meaning fen or marsh, suggesting a connection to an area with chaff-producing crops or marshlands.
The earliest recorded instances of the name date back to the late 12th century, with references found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire and Worcestershire from the reign of Richard I (1189-1199). These records mention individuals with variations of the name, such as Cafeyn and Chaffyn.
In the 13th century, the name appeared in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire (1273), listing a Richard Chafyn as a landowner in the area. This suggests that the family had established itself in the region by this time.
The Chafin name has also been linked to several place names in England, such as Chafyn Farm in Dorset, which may have taken its name from an early landowner with the surname.
Notable historical figures with the surname Chafin include:
1. Robert Chafin (c. 1450-1528), a prominent lawyer and Member of Parliament for Dorset during the reigns of Henry VII and Henry VIII.
2. Thomas Chafin (c. 1560-1632), an English politician who served as Member of Parliament for Dorset in the early 17th century.
3. William Chafin (c. 1611-1668), an English clergyman and academic who served as Provost of Worcester College, Oxford.
4. John Chafin (1681-1758), a British landowner and Member of Parliament for Dorset in the mid-18th century.
5. William Chafin (1773-1849), a British army officer who served in the Napoleonic Wars and later became a colonial administrator in South Africa.
Over the centuries, the Chafin surname has spread beyond its English origins, with bearers found in various parts of the world, including North America and Australia, though its roots can be traced back to the marshlands and agricultural regions of medieval England.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Chafin
Among Census respondents with the surname Chafin, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Chafin 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 Chafin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.8% · 3,144
- Two or more races3.9% · 134
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 66
- Black or African American1.2% · 42
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 23
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 15
Timeline
Historical Census data for Chafin
Chafin 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
#8,981
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,643
+172 bearers (+5.0%)
Per 100,000 1.24
Rank movement Down 269 places
2020
#9,158
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,424
-219 bearers (-6.0%)
Per 100,000 1.15
Rank movement Down 177 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,712 | 3,471 | 1.29 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,981 | 3,643 | 1.24 | +172 bearers (+5.0%) | Down 269 places |
| 2020 | #9,158 | 3,424 | 1.15 | -219 bearers (-6.0%) | Down 177 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 Chafin 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 | #8,981 | #9,158 | -2.0% |
| Count | 3,643 | 3,424 | -6.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.24 | 1.15 | -7.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Chafin bearers went from 3,643 to 3,424 (-6.0% change). The surname moved down 177 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,981 to #9,158.
FAQ
Chafin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Chafin?
Name Census estimates that about 3,926 living Americans carry the surname Chafin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 87,304 residents.
How common is Chafin?
Chafin ranks #9,158 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.15 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 3,424 people with the surname Chafin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,926), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.15 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.15 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 Chafin.
Has Chafin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Chafin went from 3,643 recorded bearers to 3,424. That is a decrease of 219 (-6.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,981 to #9,158.
What does the Census say about the background of Chafin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Chafin, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (1.9%). 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 Chafin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.8% (3,144 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Chafin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.8%), Two or More Races (3.9%), Hispanic (1.9%). 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 Chafin (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 Chafin mean?
An occupational surname referring to a merchant or trader dealing in wares and goods. 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 Chafin (1.15 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 Chafin?
You can see how many people have the surname Chafin on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.