2000
#134,929
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Chalus
A locational surname indicating a person from Chalus, France.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Chalus. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Chalus 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
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Chalus in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Chalus, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.0%) and Black (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Chalus
The surname Chalus originates from France, dating back to the medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Old French word "chalus," meaning "bald" or "bald-headed." The name is thought to have been initially used as a nickname or descriptive surname for someone who was bald or had a receding hairline.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Chalus can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of land ownership and taxation in England completed in 1086. The entry mentions a landowner named Radulfus Chalus, indicating the presence of the surname in Normandy and its subsequent introduction to England following the Norman Conquest.
In the 13th century, records show a Petrus de Chalus, who was a prominent member of the clergy in the Diocese of Limoges, France. Another notable figure was Guillaume Chalus, a French knight who participated in the Crusades and was mentioned in various chronicles from the late 12th century.
During the 14th century, the name Chalus appeared in various English records, such as the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which listed landowners and tenants. One entry mentions a John Chalus from Oxfordshire.
In the 15th century, the surname Chalus was associated with several notable individuals, including Jean Chalus, a French poet and author born in 1430, who wrote extensively on religious themes. Another was Thomas Chalus, an English merchant and alderman of London, who lived from 1455 to 1525.
Moving into the 16th century, the name Chalus gained further prominence with figures like Pierre Chalus, a French mathematician and astronomer born in 1572, who made significant contributions to the study of celestial mechanics. Additionally, there was Robert Chalus, an English landowner and member of Parliament, who lived from 1540 to 1610.
Throughout its history, the surname Chalus has been subject to various spellings and variations, such as Chaloux, Chaloux, Chaloux, and Chaluz, reflecting regional dialects and pronunciation differences. However, the core meaning and origin of the name have remained consistent, tracing back to the Old French word "chalus" and its association with baldness or a receding hairline.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Chalus
Among Census respondents with the surname Chalus, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.0%) and Black (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Chalus 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 Chalus surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.2% · 104
- Hispanic or Latino7.0% · 8
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Chalus
Chalus 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
#146,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
-2 bearers (-1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 11,272 places
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
+1 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 294 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #134,929 | 115 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #146,201 | 113 | 0.04 | -2 bearers (-1.7%) | Down 11,272 places |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | +1 bearers (+0.9%) | Down 294 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 Chalus 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 | #146,201 | #146,495 | -0.2% |
| Count | 113 | 114 | 0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Chalus bearers went from 113 to 114 (+0.9% change). The surname moved down 294 positions in the national ranking, going from #146,201 to #146,495.
FAQ
Chalus surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Chalus?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Chalus. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Chalus?
Chalus ranks #146,495 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 114 people with the surname Chalus. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Chalus.
Has Chalus become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Chalus went from 113 recorded bearers to 114. That is an increase of 1 (+0.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #146,201 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Chalus?
Among Census respondents with the surname Chalus, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.0%) and Black (0.9%). 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 Chalus in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.2% (104 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Chalus appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.2%), Hispanic (7.0%), Black (0.9%). 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 Chalus (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 Chalus mean?
A locational surname indicating a person from Chalus, France. 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 Chalus (0.04 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 have the surname Chalus?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.