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

Charest, 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 Charest surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Charest in America

Charest is the 13824th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Charest surname appeared 2,187 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Charest.

We can also compare 2010 data for Charest 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 Charest

The surname Charest has its origins in France, dating back to the 17th century. It is believed to be derived from the French word "cher," meaning "dear" or "beloved," combined with the suffix "-est," which was a common practice in the formation of surnames during that time period.

The earliest known records of the name Charest can be found in the regions of Normandy and Brittany in northern France. These regions were historically known for their agricultural communities, and it is possible that the name was initially bestowed upon someone who was highly regarded or respected within their local community.

One of the earliest documented instances of the name Charest can be found in the Parish Records of Saint-Jean-Baptiste Church in Québec City, Canada, dating back to the late 1600s. This record likely pertains to one of the first Charest immigrants to arrive in New France (now known as Québec) from France.

Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, the Charest name began to spread across various regions of Canada and the United States, particularly in areas with significant French-Canadian populations. Notable individuals bearing this surname include:

1. Jean-Baptiste Charest (1758-1824), a Canadian politician and landowner who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada.
2. Joseph-Édouard Charest (1834-1891), a Canadian lawyer and politician who served as a member of the Senate of Canada.
3. Pauline Charest (1866-1930), a Canadian educator and pioneer in the field of early childhood education.
4. Jean Charest (born 1958), a Canadian politician who served as the Premier of Québec from 2003 to 2012.
5. Michel Charest (born 1957), a Canadian ice hockey player who played in the National Hockey League for several teams, including the Montreal Canadiens.

While the Charest surname has its roots in France, it has since become widely dispersed across various regions, particularly in Canada and parts of the United States with significant French-Canadian populations. The name continues to hold historical significance as a reflection of the cultural heritage and migration patterns of French settlers in North America.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Charest

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

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

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

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