2000
#11,121
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,618
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.97
Rare Last name
Chalk
An English occupational surname referring to someone who manufactured or sold chalk.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,969 Americans carry the last name Chalk. That puts it at #11,603 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.87 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 115,444 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Chalk 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Chalk with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.0K
1 in 115,444
Census rank
#11,603
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,589 bearers of the surname Chalk in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.87 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11603rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Chalk, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.8%. The next largest groups are Black (21.1%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Chalk
The surname Chalk originates from England and can be traced back to the 11th century. It is derived from the Old English word "chalc," meaning lime or chalk, suggesting that the earliest bearers of this name may have lived near chalk quarries or were engaged in occupations related to the production or use of chalk.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Chalk surname can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive survey of land and property ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. This historical record mentions individuals with variations of the name, such as "de Chalc" and "de Chalke," indicating their association with specific places.
The Chalk surname is also linked to various place names across England, including Chalk in Kent, Chalke in Wiltshire, and Chalkwell in Essex. These place names often referred to areas with chalky soil or chalk quarries, further reinforcing the connection between the surname and the geological feature.
Notably, in the 13th century, a man named Roger de Chalk was recorded as a resident of Wiltshire, where the village of Chalke is located. This provides an early example of the surname's usage and its geographical association.
Throughout history, several individuals with the Chalk surname have achieved notable recognition. One such figure was Sir Nathaniel Chalk (1658-1735), an English merchant and politician who served as the Lord Mayor of London from 1707 to 1708.
Another prominent individual was William Chalk (1833-1897), a British artist and illustrator renowned for his landscape paintings and etchings depicting rural scenes in England.
In the field of literature, Octavius Chalk (1839-1917) was a notable English writer and journalist who contributed to various publications, including the Daily Telegraph and Illustrated London News.
The Chalk surname has also left its mark in the realm of sports. Herbert Chalk (1887-1973) was an English cricketer who played for Gloucestershire County Cricket Club in the early 20th century.
Lastly, Mary Chalk (1839-1912) was a British educator who founded the Froebel Educational Institute in London, dedicated to promoting the educational philosophies of Friedrich Froebel.
These examples illustrate the diverse backgrounds and achievements of individuals bearing the Chalk surname, reflecting its long-standing presence in English history and its association with various occupations and geographical locations.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Chalk
Among Census respondents with the surname Chalk, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.8%. The next largest groups are Black (21.1%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Chalk 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 Chalk surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White70.8% · 1,832
- Black or African American21.1% · 545
- Two or more races4.1% · 107
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 84
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 12
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Chalk
Chalk 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
#10,079
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,198
+580 bearers (+22.2%)
Per 100,000 1.08
Rank movement Up 1,042 places
2020
#11,603
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,589
-609 bearers (-19.0%)
Per 100,000 0.87
Rank movement Down 1,524 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,121 | 2,618 | 0.97 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,079 | 3,198 | 1.08 | +580 bearers (+22.2%) | Up 1,042 places |
| 2020 | #11,603 | 2,589 | 0.87 | -609 bearers (-19.0%) | Down 1,524 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 Chalk 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 | #10,079 | #11,603 | -15.1% |
| Count | 3,198 | 2,589 | -19.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.08 | 0.87 | -19.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Chalk bearers went from 3,198 to 2,589 (-19.0% change). The surname moved down 1,524 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,079 to #11,603.
FAQ
Chalk surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Chalk?
Name Census estimates that about 2,969 living Americans carry the surname Chalk. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 115,444 residents.
How common is Chalk?
Chalk ranks #11,603 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.87 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 2,589 people with the surname Chalk. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,969), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.87 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.87 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 Chalk.
Has Chalk become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Chalk went from 3,198 recorded bearers to 2,589. That is a decrease of 609 (-19.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,079 to #11,603.
What does the Census say about the background of Chalk?
Among Census respondents with the surname Chalk, the largest self-reported group is White at 70.8%. The next largest groups are Black (21.1%) and Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Chalk in the 2020 Census, accounting for 70.8% (1,832 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Chalk appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (70.8%), Black (21.1%), Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Chalk (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 Chalk mean?
An English occupational surname referring to someone who manufactured or sold chalk. 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 Chalk (0.87 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 common is the surname Chalk?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Chalk at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.