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

Chancellor, 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 Chancellor surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Chancellor in America

Chancellor is the 7974th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Chancellor surname appeared 4,147 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 Chancellor.

We can also compare 2010 data for Chancellor 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 Chancellor

The surname Chancellor is of English origin, derived from the Old French word "chancelier," which in turn comes from the Latin "cancellarius." The name first appeared in England during the Norman Conquest in the 11th century.

The name Chancellor originally referred to a person who served as a high-ranking official or secretary in a royal court or government. These individuals were responsible for overseeing important administrative and legal matters, as well as serving as advisors to the monarch or ruler.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of land ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The name is listed as "Canceller" and "Cancellarius" in various entries.

In the 13th century, a notable figure bearing the surname Chancellor was Ralph de Cancellis, who served as the Chancellor of England under King Henry III from 1233 to 1238. Another prominent individual was Richard le Chanceler, a wealthy merchant and landowner who lived in London during the late 13th century.

During the 14th century, the name appeared in various forms, such as Chanceller, Chancelour, and Chaunceler. One example is John de Chanceller, a clergyman who served as the Bishop of Salisbury from 1329 to 1341.

In the 16th century, Sir Thomas Chancellor (c. 1495-1549) was an English navigator and explorer who led an expedition to Russia in 1553, establishing trade relations between England and Russia. He is often credited with being the first Englishman to reach the White Sea and travel into the interior of Russia.

Another notable figure with the surname Chancellor was Richard Chancellor (c. 1520-1556), an English navigator and explorer who accompanied Sir Hugh Willoughby on an expedition to reach China via the Arctic Ocean in 1553. After becoming separated from Willoughby's ships, Chancellor reached the White Sea and made contact with the Russians, paving the way for future trade relations.

In the 17th century, Edward Chancellor (c. 1610-1675) was an English politician and lawyer who served as the Speaker of the House of Commons from 1660 to 1667 during the reign of King Charles II.

These examples illustrate the rich history and significance of the surname Chancellor, which has been borne by prominent individuals across various fields, including government, law, religion, and exploration.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Chancellor

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

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

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

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