2000
#6,599
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,738
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.76
Rare Last name
Chartier
An occupational surname for a person who transported goods by cart or was a cartwright.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,478 Americans carry the last name Chartier. That puts it at #6,791 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.60 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 62,569 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Chartier 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
5.5K
1 in 62,569
Census rank
#6,791
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,777 bearers of the surname Chartier in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.60 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6791st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Chartier, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Chartier
The surname Chartier is of French origin, derived from the Old French word "chartier" meaning "carter" or "cartwright," referring to someone who made or drove carts. The name can be traced back to the Middle Ages in France, where it was a common occupational surname.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Chartier can be found in the 13th-century cartulary of the Abbey of Saint-Denis, where a certain Renaud Chartier is mentioned. The name also appears in various medieval documents from different regions of France, such as the Chartulary of Notre-Dame de Paris and the Rolls of the Parlement of Paris.
During the 14th century, the name Chartier gained prominence with the birth of Alain Chartier (c. 1385-1430), a renowned French poet and political writer who served as a court secretary to King Charles VI and King Charles VII. His literary works, including the "Livre des Quatre Dames" and "Le Quadrilogue Invectif," were widely read and influential during his time.
Another notable bearer of the surname Chartier was René Chartier (c. 1572-1654), a French Jesuit priest and historian who authored several works on the history of France, including "Histoire de l'Église de Reims" and "Histoire de la Ville de Châlons."
In the 18th century, François Chartier (1675-1713) was a French painter known for his religious works and portraits. He studied under the renowned artist Charles de La Fosse and was commissioned by King Louis XIV to decorate the Palace of Versailles.
The surname Chartier also has connections to various place names in France, such as Chartrier, a commune in the Nièvre department, and Chartriers, a commune in the Eure-et-Loir department. These place names likely derived from the same occupational origin as the surname, referring to areas where carters or cartwrights lived and worked.
Throughout history, the Chartier surname has been associated with individuals from various professions, including writers, artists, clergy, and tradesmen. While the name's origins can be traced back to medieval France, it has since spread to other parts of the world, carried by French emigrants and their descendants.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Chartier
Among Census respondents with the surname Chartier, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Chartier 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 Chartier surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.7% · 4,333
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 191
- Two or more races3.6% · 173
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 39
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 24
- Black or African American0.4% · 17
Timeline
Historical Census data for Chartier
Chartier 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
#6,239
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,479
+741 bearers (+15.6%)
Per 100,000 1.86
Rank movement Up 360 places
2020
#6,791
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,777
-702 bearers (-12.8%)
Per 100,000 1.60
Rank movement Down 552 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,599 | 4,738 | 1.76 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,239 | 5,479 | 1.86 | +741 bearers (+15.6%) | Up 360 places |
| 2020 | #6,791 | 4,777 | 1.60 | -702 bearers (-12.8%) | Down 552 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 Chartier 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 | #6,239 | #6,791 | -8.8% |
| Count | 5,479 | 4,777 | -12.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.86 | 1.60 | -14.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Chartier bearers went from 5,479 to 4,777 (-12.8% change). The surname moved down 552 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,239 to #6,791.
FAQ
Chartier surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Chartier?
Name Census estimates that about 5,478 living Americans carry the surname Chartier. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 62,569 residents.
How common is Chartier?
Chartier ranks #6,791 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.60 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,777 people with the surname Chartier. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,478), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.6 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.60 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Chartier.
Has Chartier become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Chartier went from 5,479 recorded bearers to 4,777. That is a decrease of 702 (-12.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,239 to #6,791.
What does the Census say about the background of Chartier?
Among Census respondents with the surname Chartier, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Chartier in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.7% (4,333 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Chartier appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.7%), Hispanic (4.0%), Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Chartier (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 Chartier mean?
An occupational surname for a person who transported goods by cart or was a cartwright. 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 Chartier (1.60 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 Chartier?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.