2000
#7,036
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,391
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.63
Rare Last name
Chairez
A Spanish surname derived from the Basque word "etxe," meaning "house" or "home."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,683 Americans carry the last name Chairez. That puts it at #5,724 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.95 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 51,287 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Chairez 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
6.7K
1 in 51,287
Census rank
#5,724
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,828 bearers of the surname Chairez in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.95 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5724th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Chairez, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 96.0%. The next largest groups are White (3.3%) and Two or More Races (0.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Chairez
The surname Chairez is of Spanish origin, tracing its roots back to the regions of Castile and Aragon in Spain during the medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Spanish word "chaire," which means "chair" or "seat," suggesting that the name may have been associated with a profession or trade related to furniture-making or seating.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Chairez can be found in the historic records of the Inquisition in Spain, where a certain Juan Chairez was mentioned in a document from 1492. This record indicates that the name was already in use during the late 15th century.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Chairez surname began to spread across Spain and its territories, including the Americas. Several notable individuals bearing this surname emerged during this period, such as Pedro Chairez, a Spanish explorer who participated in the conquest of Mexico in the early 1500s.
In the 18th century, the Chairez surname appeared in various historical documents from Spain and its colonies. One notable figure was Francisca Chairez, a prominent landowner in New Spain (present-day Mexico) who was involved in legal disputes over property rights in the 1760s.
As the Spanish Empire expanded, the Chairez surname also found its way to other parts of the Americas, including regions that are now part of the United States. One early record from the 19th century mentions a José Chairez, a rancher in California who was involved in a land dispute with the Mexican government in the 1830s.
Another notable individual was Emilia Chairez, a Mexican-American educator and activist who fought for the rights of Hispanic students in the early 20th century. She was born in 1888 and was instrumental in establishing bilingual education programs in the southwestern United States.
Throughout its history, the Chairez surname has been associated with various professions and fields, including agriculture, ranching, education, and public service. While its origins can be traced back to Spain, the name has since spread across the globe, reflecting the diverse journeys and contributions of those who bear this surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Chairez
Among Census respondents with the surname Chairez, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 96.0%. The next largest groups are White (3.3%) and Two or More Races (0.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Chairez 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 Chairez surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino96.0% · 5,596
- White3.3% · 192
- Two or more races0.3% · 16
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.2% · 11
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 11
- Black or African American0.0% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Chairez
Chairez 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
#5,619
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,186
+1,795 bearers (+40.9%)
Per 100,000 2.10
Rank movement Up 1,417 places
2020
#5,724
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,828
-358 bearers (-5.8%)
Per 100,000 1.95
Rank movement Down 105 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,036 | 4,391 | 1.63 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,619 | 6,186 | 2.10 | +1,795 bearers (+40.9%) | Up 1,417 places |
| 2020 | #5,724 | 5,828 | 1.95 | -358 bearers (-5.8%) | Down 105 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 Chairez 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 | #5,619 | #5,724 | -1.9% |
| Count | 6,186 | 5,828 | -5.8% |
| Per 100K | 2.10 | 1.95 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Chairez bearers went from 6,186 to 5,828 (-5.8% change). The surname moved down 105 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,619 to #5,724.
FAQ
Chairez surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Chairez?
Name Census estimates that about 6,683 living Americans carry the surname Chairez. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 51,287 residents.
How common is Chairez?
Chairez ranks #5,724 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.95 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,828 people with the surname Chairez. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,683), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.95 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.95 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Chairez.
Has Chairez become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Chairez went from 6,186 recorded bearers to 5,828. That is a decrease of 358 (-5.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,619 to #5,724.
What does the Census say about the background of Chairez?
Among Census respondents with the surname Chairez, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 96.0%. The next largest groups are White (3.3%) and Two or More Races (0.3%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Chairez in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.0% (5,596 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Chairez appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (96.0%), White (3.3%), Two or More Races (0.3%). 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 Chairez (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 Chairez mean?
A Spanish surname derived from the Basque word "etxe," meaning "house" or "home." 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 Chairez (1.95 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 Americans have the surname Chairez?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.