2000
#10,394
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,841
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.05
Rare Last name
Champ
An occupational surname for someone who worked as a warrior or professional fighter, from the Old French "champ".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,093 Americans carry the last name Champ. That puts it at #11,213 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.90 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 110,816 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Champ 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 Champ with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.1K
1 in 110,816
Census rank
#11,213
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,697 bearers of the surname Champ in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.90 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11213th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Champ, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.1%. The next largest groups are Black (23.2%) and Two or More Races (5.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Champ
The surname Champ is believed to have originated in France during the late medieval period. It is derived from the Old French word "champ," which means "field" or "open countryside." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived or worked in a field or rural area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Champ can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of landholdings in England compiled in 1086 by order of William the Conqueror. The name appears as "de Champ," indicating that it likely referred to a person or family from a place called Champ in France.
In the 13th century, a notable figure named Robert de Champ was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire, England. These rolls were financial records maintained by the English Exchequer, and Robert de Champ's inclusion suggests that he held land or property in the region.
During the 14th century, the surname Champ began to appear in various spellings, such as "Champe," "Champes," and "Champys." This variation in spelling was common during that time due to the lack of standardized spelling conventions.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Champ in its modern spelling can be found in the parish records of St. Mary's Church in Warwick, England, where a baptism of a child named John Champ was recorded in 1598.
Notable individuals throughout history who bore the surname Champ include:
1. Sir Franke Champ (1560-1624), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Wootton Bassett in 1604 and 1614.
2. Richard Champ (1675-1728), an English architect and sculptor who designed several notable buildings in London, including St. Paul's Church in Covent Garden.
3. William Champ (1709-1781), a Scottish minister and writer who published several religious works in the 18th century.
4. Marie-Anne Champ (1767-1832), a French painter known for her portraits and historical scenes.
5. John Champ (1785-1858), an English mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the study of celestial mechanics.
While the surname Champ has been present in various parts of Europe for centuries, its origins can be traced back to the rural areas of medieval France, where it likely referred to someone living or working in the open countryside.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Champ
Among Census respondents with the surname Champ, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.1%. The next largest groups are Black (23.2%) and Two or More Races (5.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Champ 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 Champ surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White66.1% · 1,782
- Black or African American23.2% · 626
- Two or more races5.5% · 147
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 89
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.2% · 32
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 21
Timeline
Historical Census data for Champ
Champ 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
#10,380
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,104
+263 bearers (+9.3%)
Per 100,000 1.05
Rank movement Up 14 places
2020
#11,213
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,697
-407 bearers (-13.1%)
Per 100,000 0.90
Rank movement Down 833 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,394 | 2,841 | 1.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,380 | 3,104 | 1.05 | +263 bearers (+9.3%) | Up 14 places |
| 2020 | #11,213 | 2,697 | 0.90 | -407 bearers (-13.1%) | Down 833 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 Champ 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 | #10,380 | #11,213 | -8.0% |
| Count | 3,104 | 2,697 | -13.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.05 | 0.90 | -14.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Champ bearers went from 3,104 to 2,697 (-13.1% change). The surname moved down 833 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,380 to #11,213.
FAQ
Champ surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Champ?
Name Census estimates that about 3,093 living Americans carry the surname Champ. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 110,816 residents.
How common is Champ?
Champ ranks #11,213 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.90 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 2,697 people with the surname Champ. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,093), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.9 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.90 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 Champ.
Has Champ become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Champ went from 3,104 recorded bearers to 2,697. That is a decrease of 407 (-13.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,380 to #11,213.
What does the Census say about the background of Champ?
Among Census respondents with the surname Champ, the largest self-reported group is White at 66.1%. The next largest groups are Black (23.2%) and Two or More Races (5.5%). 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 Champ in the 2020 Census, accounting for 66.1% (1,782 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Champ appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (66.1%), Black (23.2%), Two or More Races (5.5%). 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 Champ (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 Champ mean?
An occupational surname for someone who worked as a warrior or professional fighter, from the Old French "champ". 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 Champ (0.90 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 last name Champ?
You can see how many Americans have the surname Champ on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.