Find out how popular the last name Chambless is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Chambless.

Chambless, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Chambless surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Chambless in America

Chambless is the 11031st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Chambless surname appeared 2,882 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Chambless.

We can also compare 2010 data for Chambless to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Chambless

The surname Chambless has its origins in England, tracing back to the late 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old French words "chambre" and "lesse," which together mean "chamber servant" or "servant of the chamber." The name likely originated from individuals who were employed as servants or attendants in the private chambers of the nobility or royalty.

In the early historical records, the name appears with various spellings, such as Chamberlayne, Chamberlen, and Chamberlin. One of the earliest documented instances of the name is found in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire from 1195, where a person named Robert Chamberlain is mentioned.

The Chambless surname is also associated with place names in England. For instance, there are records of individuals bearing the name Chamberlain or Chamberlayne hailing from the village of Chamberlain-Town in Oxfordshire, which was once known as Chamberlain's Town.

Notable individuals with the Chambless surname include:

1. Richard Chamberlain (c. 1560-1634), an English physician and poet, known for his work on midwifery and his epic poem "The Swaggering Damsel."

2. John Chamberlain (1470-1543), an English soldier and courtier who served under King Henry VIII. He was knighted for his military service and held various positions at the royal court.

3. William Chamberlayne (1619-1689), an English writer and philosopher, best known for his work "Angliae Notitia, or The Present State of England," which provided a comprehensive account of England's geography, economy, and social structure in the 17th century.

4. Robert Chamberlain (c. 1505-1559), an English churchman and academic who served as the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge from 1551 to 1553.

5. Thomas Chamberlain (1663-1728), an English naval officer and colonial administrator who served as the Governor of Nevis from 1708 to 1711 and later as the Governor of the Leeward Islands from 1711 to 1727.

While the surname Chambless has evolved over time, its origins can be traced back to the medieval era in England, where it was associated with individuals employed as servants or attendants in the private chambers of the nobility and royalty.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Chambless

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Chambless.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Chambless was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Chambless has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Chambless was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Chambless, please contact us.

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