2000
#131,366
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Chanslor
A variant of the surname Chancellor, referring to an administrative official or record keeper.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 126 Americans carry the last name Chanslor. 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 Chanslor 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 Chanslor 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 Chanslor, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.3%) and Hispanic (6.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Chanslor
The surname Chanslor is believed to have originated in England, likely during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Old French word "chancelier," which means "chancellor" or "keeper of records." This suggests that the name may have been initially associated with individuals who held administrative or clerical positions within the church or government.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Chanslor can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landowners and their holdings in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. However, the spelling of the name in this document appears as "Chanceler," reflecting the evolution of the name over time.
During the 13th century, the name Chanslor began to appear more frequently in various historical records, particularly in the counties of Norfolk and Suffolk in eastern England. This region may have been the ancestral homeland of the family, with the name potentially originating from a specific place or settlement.
Notable individuals with the surname Chanslor include Sir Thomas Chanslor (1493-1568), who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1552. Another prominent figure was John Chanslor (1610-1678), a wealthy merchant and landowner from Norfolk, who played a significant role in the local community.
In the 18th century, the Chanslor family expanded their presence to other parts of England, as well as to the American colonies. One notable member was William Chanslor (1732-1809), who emigrated from England to Virginia in the 1750s and later fought in the American Revolutionary War.
As the name spread across different regions, variations in spelling emerged, such as Chancelor, Chancellour, and Chansler. These alternative spellings were often influenced by local dialects and regional variations in pronunciation.
Throughout the centuries, the Chanslor name has been associated with individuals from various walks of life, including clergymen, merchants, landowners, and military personnel. While not a particularly common surname, it has maintained a presence in both England and the United States, reflecting the historical connections between the two nations.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Chanslor
Among Census respondents with the surname Chanslor, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.3%) and Hispanic (6.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Chanslor 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 Chanslor surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.8% · 90
- Two or more races7.3% · 8
- Hispanic or Latino6.4% · 7
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.7% · 3
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Chanslor
Chanslor 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
#136,449
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 123
+4 bearers (+3.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,083 places
2020
#149,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
-13 bearers (-10.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 12,997 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #131,366 | 119 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #136,449 | 123 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.4%) | Down 5,083 places |
| 2020 | #149,446 | 110 | 0.04 | -13 bearers (-10.6%) | Down 12,997 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 Chanslor 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 | #136,449 | #149,446 | -9.5% |
| Count | 123 | 110 | -10.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Chanslor bearers went from 123 to 110 (-10.6% change). The surname moved down 12,997 positions in the national ranking, going from #136,449 to #149,446.
FAQ
Chanslor surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Chanslor?
Name Census estimates that about 126 living Americans carry the surname Chanslor. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,720,273 residents.
How common is Chanslor?
Chanslor 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 Chanslor. 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 Chanslor.
Has Chanslor become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Chanslor went from 123 recorded bearers to 110. That is a decrease of 13 (-10.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #136,449 to #149,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Chanslor?
Among Census respondents with the surname Chanslor, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.3%) and Hispanic (6.4%). 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 Chanslor in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.8% (90 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Chanslor appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.8%), Two or More Races (7.3%), Hispanic (6.4%). 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 Chanslor (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 Chanslor mean?
A variant of the surname Chancellor, referring to an administrative official or record keeper. 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 Chanslor (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 people have the surname Chanslor?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.