2000
#3,394
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,655
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.58
Uncommon Last name
Chamberlin
An occupational surname referring to a chamberlain, an official in charge of managing a household or royal chambers.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 10,863 Americans carry the last name Chamberlin. That puts it at #3,656 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.17 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 31,552 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Chamberlin 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 Chamberlin with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
11K
1 in 31,552
Census rank
#3,656
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
9.5K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 9,473 bearers of the surname Chamberlin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.17 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3656th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Chamberlin, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Chamberlin
The surname Chamberlin is believed to have originated in England and France during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old French word "chambrelain" or "chamberlain," which referred to an officer in charge of a medieval household or the private chambers of a noble or monarch.
In England, the earliest recorded instances of the surname Chamberlin date back to the late 12th century. The name appears in the Pipe Rolls of Cambridgeshire in 1198, where it is spelled "Chaumberlain." This spelling variation was common in early records due to variations in pronunciation and regional dialects.
The Chamberlin surname is also found in the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive record of landowners and property holdings commissioned by William the Conqueror after the Norman Conquest of England. The name is recorded as "Camerarius," which was the Latin equivalent of "chamberlain."
One of the earliest known individuals with the Chamberlin surname was Sir Robert Chamberlin, who served as the Lord Chamberlain of England during the reign of King Edward III in the 14th century. Another notable figure was Sir Thomas Chamberlin, who fought alongside King Henry V at the Battle of Agincourt in 1415.
The surname Chamberlin is also associated with several place names in England, such as Chamberlin's Farm in Hertfordshire and Chamberlin's Hill in Oxfordshire. These place names likely derived from individuals with the Chamberlin surname who owned or resided in those locations.
Other notable individuals with the Chamberlin surname include:
1. John Chamberlin (c. 1553-1596), an English poet and playwright during the Elizabethan era.
2. Robert Chamberlin (1607-1689), an English clergyman and theologian who served as the Archdeacon of Wilts.
3. James Chamberlin (1774-1858), an American surveyor and engineer who helped lay out the city of Cincinnati, Ohio.
4. Thomas Chamberlin (1843-1928), an American geologist and educator who made significant contributions to the study of glaciers and the formation of the Earth's crust.
5. Joseph Chamberlin (1898-1975), an American actor and director who appeared in numerous films and television shows during the mid-20th century.
Overall, the surname Chamberlin has a rich history that can be traced back to medieval England and France, where it was associated with individuals who served in important household and administrative roles. Over the centuries, the name has been carried by notable figures in various fields, from literature and religion to science and entertainment.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Chamberlin
Among Census respondents with the surname Chamberlin, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Chamberlin 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 Chamberlin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.6% · 8,489
- Two or more races3.8% · 361
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 344
- Black or African American1.9% · 179
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 73
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 27
Timeline
Historical Census data for Chamberlin
Chamberlin 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
#3,595
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,897
+242 bearers (+2.5%)
Per 100,000 3.36
Rank movement Down 201 places
2020
#3,656
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,473
-424 bearers (-4.3%)
Per 100,000 3.17
Rank movement Down 61 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,394 | 9,655 | 3.58 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,595 | 9,897 | 3.36 | +242 bearers (+2.5%) | Down 201 places |
| 2020 | #3,656 | 9,473 | 3.17 | -424 bearers (-4.3%) | Down 61 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 Chamberlin 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 | #3,595 | #3,656 | -1.7% |
| Count | 9,897 | 9,473 | -4.3% |
| Per 100K | 3.36 | 3.17 | -5.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Chamberlin bearers went from 9,897 to 9,473 (-4.3% change). The surname moved down 61 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,595 to #3,656.
FAQ
Chamberlin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Chamberlin?
Name Census estimates that about 10,863 living Americans carry the surname Chamberlin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 31,552 residents.
How common is Chamberlin?
Chamberlin ranks #3,656 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.17 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 9,473 people with the surname Chamberlin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (10,863), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.17 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.17 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Chamberlin.
Has Chamberlin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Chamberlin went from 9,897 recorded bearers to 9,473. That is a decrease of 424 (-4.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,595 to #3,656.
What does the Census say about the background of Chamberlin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Chamberlin, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (3.6%). 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 Chamberlin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.6% (8,489 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Chamberlin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.6%), Two or More Races (3.8%), Hispanic (3.6%). 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 Chamberlin (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 Chamberlin mean?
An occupational surname referring to a chamberlain, an official in charge of managing a household or royal chambers. 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 Chamberlin (3.17 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 Chamberlin?
Want to know how many people have the surname Chamberlin? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.