2000
#12,734
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,226
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.83
Rare Last name
Charest
A French occupational surname referring to a cartwright or wagon maker, derived from the Old French "char".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,457 Americans carry the last name Charest. That puts it at #13,558 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.72 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 139,501 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Charest 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
2.5K
1 in 139,501
Census rank
#13,558
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,143 bearers of the surname Charest in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.72 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13558th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Charest, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Hispanic (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Charest
Among Census respondents with the surname Charest, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Hispanic (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Charest 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 Charest surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.0% · 1,994
- Two or more races2.8% · 59
- Hispanic or Latino2.3% · 50
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.4% · 29
- Black or African American0.4% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Charest
Charest 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
#13,824
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,187
-39 bearers (-1.8%)
Per 100,000 0.74
Rank movement Down 1,090 places
2020
#13,558
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,143
-44 bearers (-2.0%)
Per 100,000 0.72
Rank movement Up 266 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,734 | 2,226 | 0.83 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,824 | 2,187 | 0.74 | -39 bearers (-1.8%) | Down 1,090 places |
| 2020 | #13,558 | 2,143 | 0.72 | -44 bearers (-2.0%) | Up 266 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 Charest 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 | #13,824 | #13,558 | 1.9% |
| Count | 2,187 | 2,143 | -2.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.74 | 0.72 | -3.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Charest bearers went from 2,187 to 2,143 (-2.0% change). The surname moved up 266 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,824 to #13,558.
FAQ
Charest surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Charest?
Name Census estimates that about 2,457 living Americans carry the surname Charest. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 139,501 residents.
How common is Charest?
Charest ranks #13,558 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.72 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 2,143 people with the surname Charest. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,457), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.72 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.72 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 Charest.
Has Charest become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Charest went from 2,187 recorded bearers to 2,143. That is a decrease of 44 (-2.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #13,824 to #13,558.
What does the Census say about the background of Charest?
Among Census respondents with the surname Charest, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.8%) and Hispanic (2.3%). 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 Charest in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.0% (1,994 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Charest appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.0%), Two or More Races (2.8%), Hispanic (2.3%). 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 Charest (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 Charest mean?
A French occupational surname referring to a cartwright or wagon maker, derived from the Old French "char". 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 Charest (0.72 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 Charest?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.