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

Channing, 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 Channing surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Channing in America

Channing is the 43651st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Channing surname appeared 494 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 Channing.

We can also compare 2010 data for Channing 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 Channing

The surname Channing is of English origin and can be traced back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "ceann" meaning "bold" or "brave," suggesting that the name was initially given as a nickname to someone with those characteristics.

The earliest recorded spelling of the name is found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1190, where it appears as "Chaunin." This entry refers to a landowner named Richard Chaunin, who held lands in the county at that time.

In the 13th century, the surname appears in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire (1273) as "Chanyng." This record suggests that the name was also present in the Oxfordshire area during this period.

The Channing family is believed to have originated from the village of Channing in Somerset, which itself is named after the Channing family who held lands there in the Middle Ages. The earliest reference to this place name is found in the Assize Rolls of Somerset in 1243, where it is spelled "Chanyngg."

One of the earliest notable individuals with the surname Channing was Sir John Channing (c. 1400-1475), who served as a member of the English Parliament and was appointed to various judicial positions in Somerset and Devon during the 15th century.

Another prominent figure was William Channing (1610-1668), a wealthy merchant and landowner from Dorset who played a significant role in the English Civil War and supported the Parliamentarian cause.

In the 18th century, the Channing family produced several notable individuals, including William Ellery Channing (1780-1842), a renowned Unitarian preacher and influential thinker in the United States, and his nephew, William Henry Channing (1810-1884), a noted Unitarian minister and author.

The surname Channing has also been associated with places like Channing Street in London, named after William Ellery Channing, and the Channing House Retirement Community in Palo Alto, California, named after the same individual.

Other noteworthy individuals with the surname Channing include Carol Channing (1921-2019), an American actress and singer best known for her roles in Broadway musicals, and her son, Channing Ingram (b. 1946), an American actor and writer.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Channing

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

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

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

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