2000
#1,419
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 23,001
First available Census row
Per 100,000 8.53
Uncommon Last name
Chappell
An occupational surname referring to a clergyman or someone who worked in a chapel.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 26,183 Americans carry the last name Chappell. That puts it at #1,526 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 7.64 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 13,091 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Chappell 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Chappell with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
26K
1 in 13,091
Census rank
#1,526
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
7.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
23K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 22,833 bearers of the surname Chappell in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 7.64 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1526th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Chappell, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.1%. The next largest groups are Black (19.3%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Chappell
The surname Chappell is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is a locational name derived from various places named Chapel or Chapelle, which were named after chapels or small churches located in those areas. The name can be traced back to the Old French word "chapele," meaning a small church or sanctuary.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Chappell can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is spelled as "Chapele." This historical record suggests that the name was already established in England by the late 11th century.
In the 13th century, the name appears in various forms, such as Chapell, Chappell, and Chapelle, in records from counties like Somerset, Gloucestershire, and Oxfordshire. This indicates that the name was well-established in different regions of England during this period.
One notable individual bearing the surname Chappell was John Chappell (c. 1570-1647), an English clergyman and author who served as the Archdeacon of Surrey and wrote several religious works.
Another prominent figure was Edward Chappell (1659-1724), an English churchman and academic who served as the Bishop of Cork and Ross in Ireland. He was also the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge from 1717 to 1718.
In the 18th century, William Chappell (1708-1791) was a renowned English architect and surveyor who designed several notable buildings, including the Shire Hall in Shrewsbury.
The 19th century saw the rise of William Chappell (1809-1888), an English writer and musician who made significant contributions to the study of English folk music and popularized the works of early English composers.
Another notable figure was Sir Francis Leggatt Chantrey Chappell (1859-1935), a British civil engineer and academic who served as the Dean of the Faculty of Science at the University of Bristol.
Throughout its history, the surname Chappell has been associated with various place names, such as Chappel in Essex, Chapel-en-le-Frith in Derbyshire, and Chapeltown in Yorkshire, among others. These place names reflect the locational origin of the surname and its connection to chapels or small churches.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Chappell
Among Census respondents with the surname Chappell, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.1%. The next largest groups are Black (19.3%) and Two or More Races (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Chappell 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 Chappell surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White72.1% · 16,459
- Black or African American19.3% · 4,409
- Two or more races4.3% · 982
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 722
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 134
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 127
Timeline
Historical Census data for Chappell
Chappell 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
#1,516
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 23,634
+633 bearers (+2.8%)
Per 100,000 8.01
Rank movement Down 97 places
2020
#1,526
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 22,833
-801 bearers (-3.4%)
Per 100,000 7.64
Rank movement Down 10 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,419 | 23,001 | 8.53 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,516 | 23,634 | 8.01 | +633 bearers (+2.8%) | Down 97 places |
| 2020 | #1,526 | 22,833 | 7.64 | -801 bearers (-3.4%) | Down 10 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 Chappell 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 | #1,516 | #1,526 | -0.7% |
| Count | 23,634 | 22,833 | -3.4% |
| Per 100K | 8.01 | 7.64 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Chappell bearers went from 23,634 to 22,833 (-3.4% change). The surname moved down 10 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,516 to #1,526.
FAQ
Chappell surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Chappell?
Name Census estimates that about 26,183 living Americans carry the surname Chappell. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 13,091 residents.
How common is Chappell?
Chappell ranks #1,526 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 7.64 per 100,000 residents, which is about 8 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 22,833 people with the surname Chappell. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (26,183), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 7.64 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 7.64 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 8 of them to have the surname Chappell.
Has Chappell become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Chappell went from 23,634 recorded bearers to 22,833. That is a decrease of 801 (-3.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,516 to #1,526.
What does the Census say about the background of Chappell?
Among Census respondents with the surname Chappell, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.1%. The next largest groups are Black (19.3%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Chappell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 72.1% (16,459 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Chappell appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (72.1%), Black (19.3%), Two or More Races (4.3%). 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 Chappell (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 Chappell mean?
An occupational surname referring to a clergyman or someone who worked in a chapel. 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 Chappell (7.64 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 common is the surname Chappell?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Chappell at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.