2000
#9,866
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,019
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.12
Rare Last name
Chaisson
A French occupational surname referring to a transporter of lime or limestone.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,425 Americans carry the last name Chaisson. That puts it at #10,266 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.00 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 100,074 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Chaisson 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
3.4K
1 in 100,074
Census rank
#10,266
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,987 bearers of the surname Chaisson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.00 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10266th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Chaisson, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.1%. The next largest groups are Black (12.6%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Chaisson
The surname Chaisson originated in France, with its roots dating back to the 17th century. It is derived from the French word "chaise," which means chair or seat. The name likely referred to an occupation or a specific location associated with chairs or seating arrangements.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Chaisson can be found in the baptismal records of the parish of Saint-Sulpice in Paris, where a child named Jean Chaisson was baptized in 1672. The name also appears in various legal documents and property records from the same time period, indicating that the family had established roots in the region.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Chaisson family spread across different parts of France, with some members migrating to other parts of Europe and even to the Americas. One notable figure was Jacques Chaisson (1730-1802), a French military officer who served in the American Revolutionary War and later settled in Louisiana.
Another prominent individual bearing the Chaisson name was Marie-Anne Chaisson (1778-1849), a French writer and poet who gained recognition for her works celebrating the beauty of nature and the countryside. Her collection of poems, "Les Chants de la Vallée," published in 1821, remains a significant contribution to French literature.
In the 19th century, the Chaisson family continued to grow and establish roots in various parts of the world. One notable example is Pierre Chaisson (1845-1923), a French-Canadian entrepreneur who founded a successful lumber company in Quebec. His business played a crucial role in the economic development of the region.
Moving into the 20th century, the name Chaisson gained further prominence with individuals such as Émile Chaisson (1912-1998), a renowned French physicist and astronomer who made significant contributions to the study of stellar evolution and the origin of the universe.
Throughout history, the Chaisson surname has been associated with various professions, from military officers and writers to entrepreneurs and scientists. While the name's exact origins may be rooted in a specific occupation or location, it has since transcended those boundaries and become a part of the rich tapestry of global culture and heritage.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Chaisson
Among Census respondents with the surname Chaisson, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.1%. The next largest groups are Black (12.6%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Chaisson 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 Chaisson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White74.1% · 2,212
- Black or African American12.6% · 375
- Two or more races4.6% · 136
- Hispanic or Latino4.2% · 124
- American Indian and Alaska Native4.1% · 123
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 17
Timeline
Historical Census data for Chaisson
Chaisson 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
#10,145
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,179
+160 bearers (+5.3%)
Per 100,000 1.08
Rank movement Down 279 places
2020
#10,266
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,987
-192 bearers (-6.0%)
Per 100,000 1.00
Rank movement Down 121 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,866 | 3,019 | 1.12 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,145 | 3,179 | 1.08 | +160 bearers (+5.3%) | Down 279 places |
| 2020 | #10,266 | 2,987 | 1.00 | -192 bearers (-6.0%) | Down 121 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 Chaisson 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 | #10,145 | #10,266 | -1.2% |
| Count | 3,179 | 2,987 | -6.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.08 | 1.00 | -7.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Chaisson bearers went from 3,179 to 2,987 (-6.0% change). The surname moved down 121 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,145 to #10,266.
FAQ
Chaisson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Chaisson?
Name Census estimates that about 3,425 living Americans carry the surname Chaisson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 100,074 residents.
How common is Chaisson?
Chaisson ranks #10,266 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.00 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 2,987 people with the surname Chaisson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,425), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.00 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 Chaisson.
Has Chaisson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Chaisson went from 3,179 recorded bearers to 2,987. That is a decrease of 192 (-6.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,145 to #10,266.
What does the Census say about the background of Chaisson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Chaisson, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.1%. The next largest groups are Black (12.6%) and Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Chaisson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 74.1% (2,212 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Chaisson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (74.1%), Black (12.6%), Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Chaisson (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 Chaisson mean?
A French occupational surname referring to a transporter of lime or limestone. 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 Chaisson (1.00 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 Chaisson?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.