2000
#9,506
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,137
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.16
Rare Last name
Chamblee
From an English place name, likely referring to a location with gnarled or twisted trees.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,500 Americans carry the last name Chamblee. That puts it at #10,065 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.02 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 97,930 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Chamblee 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
3.5K
1 in 97,930
Census rank
#10,065
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,052 bearers of the surname Chamblee in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.02 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10065th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Chamblee, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.5%. The next largest groups are Black (19.8%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Chamblee
The surname Chamblee is believed to have originated in France during the medieval period, with roots tracing back to the Old French word "chamblier," referring to a maker or seller of horse blankets or saddle cloths. This occupational surname was likely first adopted by individuals involved in this trade.
One of the earliest known references to the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which recorded landowners and tenants in England after the Norman Conquest. The name appears as "Camblenc," suggesting it had already spread beyond France by that time.
In the 13th century, records from the Exchequer Rolls of Normandy mention an individual named Robert Chamblee, indicating the surname's continued presence in the region. Additionally, the Hundred Rolls of 1273 in England contain entries referring to places named "Chambley" or "Chambleye," which may have derived from the surname or vice versa.
The earliest known bearer of the surname Chamblee was Sir Robert de Chamblee, a French knight who participated in the Third Crusade (1189-1192) under King Richard I of England. Another notable figure was William Chamblee (c. 1420-1492), a merchant and landowner in Somerset, England, whose family had settled there after arriving from Normandy.
In the 16th century, the surname appeared in various spellings, such as "Chambles," "Chambleys," and "Chambleigh," reflecting regional variations. One example is John Chambleigh (c. 1530-1599), a member of the English gentry from Gloucestershire.
During the 17th century, the Chamblee surname spread further across Europe and beyond. Jacques Chamblee (1612-1678), a French Huguenot, sought refuge in the Netherlands after the revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685. His descendants later immigrated to America, where the name evolved into its current spelling.
Other notable individuals with the surname Chamblee include Captain William Chamblee (c. 1720-1795), a British naval officer who served during the American Revolutionary War, and Elizabeth Chamblee (1813-1892), an early settler in Texas and wife of a prominent landowner.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Chamblee
Among Census respondents with the surname Chamblee, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.5%. The next largest groups are Black (19.8%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Chamblee 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 Chamblee surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White71.5% · 2,182
- Black or African American19.8% · 604
- Two or more races4.8% · 147
- Hispanic or Latino2.7% · 83
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 21
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 15
Timeline
Historical Census data for Chamblee
Chamblee 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
#9,907
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,263
+126 bearers (+4.0%)
Per 100,000 1.11
Rank movement Down 401 places
2020
#10,065
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,052
-211 bearers (-6.5%)
Per 100,000 1.02
Rank movement Down 158 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,506 | 3,137 | 1.16 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,907 | 3,263 | 1.11 | +126 bearers (+4.0%) | Down 401 places |
| 2020 | #10,065 | 3,052 | 1.02 | -211 bearers (-6.5%) | Down 158 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 Chamblee 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 | #9,907 | #10,065 | -1.6% |
| Count | 3,263 | 3,052 | -6.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.11 | 1.02 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Chamblee bearers went from 3,263 to 3,052 (-6.5% change). The surname moved down 158 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,907 to #10,065.
FAQ
Chamblee surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Chamblee?
Name Census estimates that about 3,500 living Americans carry the surname Chamblee. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 97,930 residents.
How common is Chamblee?
Chamblee ranks #10,065 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.02 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 3,052 people with the surname Chamblee. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,500), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.02 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.02 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 Chamblee.
Has Chamblee become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Chamblee went from 3,263 recorded bearers to 3,052. That is a decrease of 211 (-6.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,907 to #10,065.
What does the Census say about the background of Chamblee?
Among Census respondents with the surname Chamblee, the largest self-reported group is White at 71.5%. The next largest groups are Black (19.8%) and Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Chamblee in the 2020 Census, accounting for 71.5% (2,182 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Chamblee appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (71.5%), Black (19.8%), Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Chamblee (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 Chamblee mean?
From an English place name, likely referring to a location with gnarled or twisted trees. 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 Chamblee (1.02 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 are called Chamblee?
See how many people are called Chamblee on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.