2000
#142,819
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Chanocua
An indigenous Mexican surname of unknown meaning.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Chanocua. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Chanocua 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
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Chanocua in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Chanocua, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 95.7%. The next largest groups are White (1.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Chanocua
The surname Chanocua has its origins in the indigenous communities of Mexico, specifically among the Nahuatl-speaking peoples of Central Mexico. The earliest known instances of this surname date back to the late 16th century, shortly after the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with this surname was Juan Chanocua, a Nahua noble from the region of Tlaxcala, who was born around 1550. He played a significant role in the early colonial period, serving as an interpreter and intermediary between the Spanish authorities and the indigenous communities.
The name Chanocua is believed to be derived from the Nahuatl language, although its exact meaning and etymology are uncertain. Some scholars suggest that it may be related to the Nahuatl word "chanoc," meaning "to bloom" or "to flourish," while others propose a connection to the word "cuahuitl," meaning "tree" or "wood."
In the 17th century, the Chanocua surname appeared in various historical records, including church baptismal and marriage registers, as well as land ownership documents. One notable figure from this period was María Chanocua, a landowner and community leader in the village of Azcapotzalco, near present-day Mexico City, who lived in the mid-1600s.
As the centuries passed, the Chanocua surname continued to be found in various regions of Mexico, particularly in the central and southern states. In the 19th century, a prominent individual bearing this surname was General José Chanocua, a military leader who fought in the Mexican-American War of 1846-1848.
Another notable Chanocua was Ignacio Chanocua, a renowned artist and painter from the state of Oaxaca, who lived in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. His works, which often depicted scenes of everyday life and indigenous culture, are highly regarded and can be found in various museums and private collections.
Throughout the 20th century, individuals with the Chanocua surname continued to make contributions in various fields, including academia, politics, and the arts. One example is Lucía Chanocua, a renowned historian and anthropologist who specialized in the study of indigenous cultures in Mexico, and who was born in 1920.
While the Chanocua surname may not be widely known outside of Mexico, it holds a significant place in the country's cultural and historical fabric, reflecting the rich diversity of its indigenous heritage and the enduring legacy of the Nahuatl-speaking peoples.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Chanocua
Among Census respondents with the surname Chanocua, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 95.7%. The next largest groups are White (1.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Chanocua 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 Chanocua surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino95.7% · 110
- White1.7% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Chanocua
Chanocua 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
#115,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 151
+44 bearers (+41.1%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Up 27,180 places
2020
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
-36 bearers (-23.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 30,118 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #142,819 | 107 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #115,639 | 151 | 0.05 | +44 bearers (+41.1%) | Up 27,180 places |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | -36 bearers (-23.8%) | Down 30,118 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 Chanocua 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 | #115,639 | #145,757 | -26.0% |
| Count | 151 | 115 | -23.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -23.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Chanocua bearers went from 151 to 115 (-23.8% change). The surname moved down 30,118 positions in the national ranking, going from #115,639 to #145,757.
FAQ
Chanocua surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Chanocua?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Chanocua. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Chanocua?
Chanocua ranks #145,757 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 115 people with the surname Chanocua. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), 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 Chanocua.
Has Chanocua become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Chanocua went from 151 recorded bearers to 115. That is a decrease of 36 (-23.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #115,639 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Chanocua?
Among Census respondents with the surname Chanocua, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 95.7%. The next largest groups are White (1.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Chanocua in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.7% (110 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Chanocua appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (95.7%), White (1.7%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%). 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 Chanocua (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 Chanocua mean?
An indigenous Mexican surname of unknown meaning. 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 Chanocua (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 Chanocua?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.