2000
#10,719
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,734
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.01
Rare Last name
Chambless
Derived from a place name meaning "the shambles," referring to an open-air slaughterhouse or meat market.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,231 Americans carry the last name Chambless. That puts it at #10,807 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.94 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 106,083 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Chambless 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
3.2K
1 in 106,083
Census rank
#10,807
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,818 bearers of the surname Chambless in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.94 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10807th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Chambless, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.9%) and Black (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Chambless
Among Census respondents with the surname Chambless, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.9%) and Black (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Chambless 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 Chambless surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.8% · 2,391
- Hispanic or Latino4.9% · 138
- Black or African American4.6% · 131
- Two or more races4.4% · 123
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 20
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 15
Timeline
Historical Census data for Chambless
Chambless 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
#11,031
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,882
+148 bearers (+5.4%)
Per 100,000 0.98
Rank movement Down 312 places
2020
#10,807
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,818
-64 bearers (-2.2%)
Per 100,000 0.94
Rank movement Up 224 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,719 | 2,734 | 1.01 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,031 | 2,882 | 0.98 | +148 bearers (+5.4%) | Down 312 places |
| 2020 | #10,807 | 2,818 | 0.94 | -64 bearers (-2.2%) | Up 224 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 Chambless 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 | #11,031 | #10,807 | 2.0% |
| Count | 2,882 | 2,818 | -2.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.98 | 0.94 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Chambless bearers went from 2,882 to 2,818 (-2.2% change). The surname moved up 224 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,031 to #10,807.
FAQ
Chambless surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Chambless?
Name Census estimates that about 3,231 living Americans carry the surname Chambless. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 106,083 residents.
How common is Chambless?
Chambless ranks #10,807 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.94 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 2,818 people with the surname Chambless. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,231), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.94 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.94 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 Chambless.
Has Chambless become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Chambless went from 2,882 recorded bearers to 2,818. That is a decrease of 64 (-2.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #11,031 to #10,807.
What does the Census say about the background of Chambless?
Among Census respondents with the surname Chambless, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.9%) and Black (4.6%). 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 Chambless in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.8% (2,391 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Chambless appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.8%), Hispanic (4.9%), Black (4.6%). 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 Chambless (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 Chambless mean?
Derived from a place name meaning "the shambles," referring to an open-air slaughterhouse or meat market. 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 Chambless (0.94 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 Americans have the surname Chambless?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.