2000
#2,441
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,586
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.04
Uncommon Last name
Chance
An English surname derived from the Old French word "chance," meaning luck, good fortune, or opportunity.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 15,593 Americans carry the last name Chance. That puts it at #2,594 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.55 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 21,981 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Chance 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 Chance with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
16K
1 in 21,981
Census rank
#2,594
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
14K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 13,598 bearers of the surname Chance in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.55 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2594th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Chance, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.4%. The next largest groups are Black (19.6%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Chance
The surname Chance originated in England and is a locational name derived from the Old French word 'chance', meaning happy or fortunate. It is believed to have first emerged in the medieval period, referring to someone who lived near a happy or fortunate place.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name is found in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire from 1273, which mentions a William de la Chaunce. The Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire from 1301 also reference a John de Chauns. These early spellings demonstrate the evolution of the name from its Old French roots.
In the 14th century, the name appears in various forms, such as Chaunce and Chauns, in records from counties like Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire. The Subsidy Rolls of Sussex from 1327 list a John Chaunce, while the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1334 record a Thomas Chaunce.
The surname Chance may have also derived from place names like Chance Wood in Shropshire or Chance Street in Tring, Hertfordshire. These locations likely took their names from the Old French word, indicating areas that were considered fortunate or desirable.
Notable historical figures with the surname Chance include:
1. Sir John Chance (c. 1520-1599), an English merchant and politician who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1585.
2. John Chance (1718-1784), an English minister and dissenting tutor who founded the Prospect Academy in Coventry.
3. Henry Chance (1786-1865), an English glassmaker and entrepreneur who co-founded the glassmaking company Chance Brothers.
4. Michael Chance (born 1955), an English countertenor and opera singer known for his performances of Baroque and contemporary works.
5. Brittany Chance (born 1986), an American professional wrestler and former WWE Diva.
The surname Chance has a rich history, originating from the Old French word denoting fortune and evolving over centuries to become a well-established English surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Chance
Among Census respondents with the surname Chance, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.4%. The next largest groups are Black (19.6%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Chance 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 Chance surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White69.4% · 9,437
- Black or African American19.6% · 2,668
- Two or more races4.8% · 655
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 533
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.3% · 183
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 122
Timeline
Historical Census data for Chance
Chance 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
#2,540
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,256
+670 bearers (+4.9%)
Per 100,000 4.83
Rank movement Down 99 places
2020
#2,594
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,598
-658 bearers (-4.6%)
Per 100,000 4.55
Rank movement Down 54 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,441 | 13,586 | 5.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,540 | 14,256 | 4.83 | +670 bearers (+4.9%) | Down 99 places |
| 2020 | #2,594 | 13,598 | 4.55 | -658 bearers (-4.6%) | Down 54 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 Chance 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 | #2,540 | #2,594 | -2.1% |
| Count | 14,256 | 13,598 | -4.6% |
| Per 100K | 4.83 | 4.55 | -5.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Chance bearers went from 14,256 to 13,598 (-4.6% change). The surname moved down 54 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,540 to #2,594.
FAQ
Chance surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Chance?
Name Census estimates that about 15,593 living Americans carry the surname Chance. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 21,981 residents.
How common is Chance?
Chance ranks #2,594 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.55 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 13,598 people with the surname Chance. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (15,593), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.55 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.55 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Chance.
Has Chance become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Chance went from 14,256 recorded bearers to 13,598. That is a decrease of 658 (-4.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,540 to #2,594.
What does the Census say about the background of Chance?
Among Census respondents with the surname Chance, the largest self-reported group is White at 69.4%. The next largest groups are Black (19.6%) 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 Chance in the 2020 Census, accounting for 69.4% (9,437 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Chance appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (69.4%), Black (19.6%), 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 Chance (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 Chance mean?
An English surname derived from the Old French word "chance," meaning luck, good fortune, or opportunity. 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 Chance (4.55 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 share the surname Chance?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.