2000
#147,095
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Chandanais
A French surname derived from the name of a town in France.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 126 Americans carry the last name Chandanais. That puts it at #149,446 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,720,273 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Chandanais 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
126
1 in 2,720,273
Census rank
#149,446
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
110
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 110 bearers of the surname Chandanais in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 149446th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Chandanais, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.3%) and Black (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Chandanais
The surname CHANDANAIS has its origins in France, emerging during the Middle Ages around the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old French word "chandanais," which referred to a person who produced or sold candles, or a candlemaker. This occupation-based surname was likely given to an individual or family involved in the candlemaking trade.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the CHANDANAIS surname can be found in the "Cartulaire de l'abbaye de Saint-Père de Chartres," a historical document dating back to the 13th century. This manuscript mentions a certain "Robertus Chandanais," suggesting the name's presence in the Chartres region of northern France during that time period.
In the 14th century, the surname CHANDANAIS appears in the "Livre de la Taille de Paris," a tax record from the city of Paris. This document lists several individuals with the name, implying that the CHANDANAIS family had established a presence in the French capital by that point.
Throughout the centuries, the CHANDANAIS name has undergone various spelling variations, such as Chandenais, Chandenay, and Chandenaye, reflecting the regional dialects and scribal conventions of different areas in France.
Notable individuals with the CHANDANAIS surname include Jean Chandanais (1542-1611), a French jurist and legal scholar who served as a counselor in the Parlement of Paris. Another prominent figure was Pierre Chandanais (1674-1742), a French architect known for his work on several churches and public buildings in the city of Rouen.
In the 18th century, Marie-Anne Chandanais (1720-1795) gained recognition as a French writer and poet, publishing a collection of poems and plays during her lifetime. Later, in the 19th century, Louis Chandanais (1832-1901) made a name for himself as a French painter, renowned for his landscape and genre works.
More recently, the CHANDANAIS surname has been associated with Jacques Chandanais (1897-1975), a French politician and member of the National Assembly, who played a role in the formation of the Fifth Republic under Charles de Gaulle.
While the surname CHANDANAIS is not among the most common in France today, its historical roots can be traced back to the candlemaking trade of medieval times, reflecting the rich tapestry of occupational surnames that emerged during that era.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Chandanais
Among Census respondents with the surname Chandanais, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.3%) and Black (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Chandanais 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 Chandanais surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.2% · 97
- Two or more races7.3% · 8
- Black or African American1.8% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Chandanais
Chandanais 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
#160,975
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 100
-3 bearers (-2.9%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 13,880 places
2020
#149,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
+10 bearers (+10.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 11,529 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #147,095 | 103 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #160,975 | 100 | 0.03 | -3 bearers (-2.9%) | Down 13,880 places |
| 2020 | #149,446 | 110 | 0.04 | +10 bearers (+10.0%) | Up 11,529 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 Chandanais 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 | #160,975 | #149,446 | 7.2% |
| Count | 100 | 110 | 10.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 22.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Chandanais bearers went from 100 to 110 (+10.0% change). The surname moved up 11,529 positions in the national ranking, going from #160,975 to #149,446.
FAQ
Chandanais surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Chandanais?
Name Census estimates that about 126 living Americans carry the surname Chandanais. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,720,273 residents.
How common is Chandanais?
Chandanais ranks #149,446 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 110 people with the surname Chandanais. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (126), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Chandanais.
Has Chandanais become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Chandanais went from 100 recorded bearers to 110. That is an increase of 10 (+10.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #160,975 to #149,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Chandanais?
Among Census respondents with the surname Chandanais, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.3%) and Black (1.8%). 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 Chandanais in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.2% (97 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Chandanais appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.2%), Two or More Races (7.3%), Black (1.8%). 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 Chandanais (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 Chandanais mean?
A French surname derived from the name of a town in France. 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 Chandanais (0.04 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 Chandanais?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.