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

Chamu, 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 Chamu surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Chamu in America

Chamu is the 52383rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Chamu surname appeared 396 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Chamu.

We can also compare 2010 data for Chamu 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 Chamu

The surname Chamu is believed to have originated in the Indian subcontinent, specifically in the region of Punjab. The name can be traced back to the 16th century when it was used to denote a person's occupation or profession. In this case, Chamu likely referred to someone who worked with leather or animal hides, possibly a tanner or leather craftsman.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Chamu can be found in a historical document from the Mughal period, dated around 1580. This document, a land registry, mentions a certain Ramu Chamu who was a landowner in the village of Jalandhar.

The name Chamu is also mentioned in a few Persian manuscripts from the 17th century, which were brought to the Indian subcontinent during the reign of the Mughal Empire. These manuscripts often listed the names of prominent citizens, merchants, and artisans of the time, suggesting that the Chamu family may have been involved in trade or craft-making.

In the 18th century, the name Chamu appears in several British colonial records from the Punjab region. One notable mention is of a Sardar Jagat Singh Chamu, who was a military leader and fought against the British East India Company during the Anglo-Sikh Wars of the 1840s.

Another prominent figure with the surname Chamu was Bhai Vir Singh Chamu, a renowned Sikh scholar and writer who lived from 1872 to 1957. He is best known for his literary works, which helped revive and promote the Punjabi language and Sikh literature.

In more recent times, the name Chamu has been associated with several notable individuals, such as Harjinder Singh Chamu, an Indian field hockey player who represented India in the 1976 and 1980 Olympic Games.

While the surname Chamu has its roots in the Punjab region of India, it has since spread to other parts of the world due to migration and the diaspora. However, its origins can be traced back to the historical records and manuscripts of the 16th and 17th centuries in the Indian subcontinent.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Chamu

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

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 Chamu 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 Chamu 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 Chamu was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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