2000
#9,279
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,229
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.20
Rare Last name
Chapple
An occupational surname for a maker or seller of chapel veils, caps, or capes.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,795 Americans carry the last name Chapple. That puts it at #9,419 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.11 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 90,317 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Chapple 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 Chapple with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.8K
1 in 90,317
Census rank
#9,419
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,309 bearers of the surname Chapple in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.11 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9419th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Chapple, the largest self-reported group is White at 54.8%. The next largest groups are Black (36.7%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Chapple
The surname Chapple is believed to have originated in England, specifically in the northern counties of Yorkshire and Lancashire, during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English words "ceap" or "chep," meaning "barter" or "trade," and "hyll" or "hull," meaning "hill." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived or worked on a hill where trading or bartering took place.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Chapple appears in the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire from 1301, where a John de Chephill is mentioned. The Subsidy Rolls were tax records compiled during the reign of King Edward I, indicating that the name was already in use by the early 14th century.
In the 16th century, the name Chapple can be found in various records from the region, including parish registers and court rolls. For example, a Thomas Chapple was recorded in the Wakefield Court Rolls of 1557, and a William Chapple was mentioned in the Parish Registers of Ecclesfield, Yorkshire, in 1587.
The Chapple surname is also closely associated with the nearby town of Chapel-en-le-Frith in Derbyshire, which likely derives its name from a similar etymology. It is possible that some branches of the Chapple family migrated from Yorkshire to this area, contributing to the local population.
One notable individual bearing the Chapple surname was William Chapple (1718-1781), an English clergyman and author who served as the rector of Radbourne in Derbyshire. He is remembered for his literary works, including a collection of poems titled "Miscellanies in Prose and Verse" published in 1770.
Another significant figure was John Chapple (1851-1920), a British architect and surveyor who designed several notable buildings in London, including the Royal Masonic Hospital and the Royal Albert Hall. He was also involved in the restoration of various historic churches and buildings.
In the United States, one of the earliest recorded instances of the Chapple surname is found in the 17th century. Richard Chapple (1635-1696) was an early settler in Massachusetts Bay Colony, arriving in the 1660s and establishing a family line that continued for generations.
Thomas Chapple (1788-1854) was a British soldier and author who served in the Napoleonic Wars and later wrote a memoir titled "A Narrative of the Incidents from the First Invention of Steam Boats." He provided valuable insights into the early development of steamboat technology.
Elizabeth Chapple (1890-1982) was an English artist and illustrator best known for her etchings and engravings depicting rural landscapes and scenes from everyday life. Her works were widely exhibited and are held in various museum collections.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Chapple
Among Census respondents with the surname Chapple, the largest self-reported group is White at 54.8%. The next largest groups are Black (36.7%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Chapple 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 Chapple surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White54.8% · 1,812
- Black or African American36.7% · 1,214
- Two or more races3.8% · 126
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 124
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 24
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Chapple
Chapple 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
#9,068
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,604
+375 bearers (+11.6%)
Per 100,000 1.22
Rank movement Up 211 places
2020
#9,419
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,309
-295 bearers (-8.2%)
Per 100,000 1.11
Rank movement Down 351 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,279 | 3,229 | 1.20 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,068 | 3,604 | 1.22 | +375 bearers (+11.6%) | Up 211 places |
| 2020 | #9,419 | 3,309 | 1.11 | -295 bearers (-8.2%) | Down 351 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 Chapple 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 | #9,068 | #9,419 | -3.9% |
| Count | 3,604 | 3,309 | -8.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.22 | 1.11 | -9.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Chapple bearers went from 3,604 to 3,309 (-8.2% change). The surname moved down 351 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,068 to #9,419.
FAQ
Chapple surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Chapple?
Name Census estimates that about 3,795 living Americans carry the surname Chapple. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 90,317 residents.
How common is Chapple?
Chapple ranks #9,419 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.11 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,309 people with the surname Chapple. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,795), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.11 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.11 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Chapple.
Has Chapple become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Chapple went from 3,604 recorded bearers to 3,309. That is a decrease of 295 (-8.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,068 to #9,419.
What does the Census say about the background of Chapple?
Among Census respondents with the surname Chapple, the largest self-reported group is White at 54.8%. The next largest groups are Black (36.7%) and Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Chapple in the 2020 Census, accounting for 54.8% (1,812 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Chapple appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (54.8%), Black (36.7%), Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Chapple (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 Chapple mean?
An occupational surname for a maker or seller of chapel veils, caps, or capes. 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 Chapple (1.11 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 last name Chapple?
If you just want to know how many Americans have the surname Chapple, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.