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

Chartrand, 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 Chartrand surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Chartrand in America

Chartrand is the 14821st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Chartrand surname appeared 2,001 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 Chartrand.

We can also compare 2010 data for Chartrand 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 Chartrand

The surname Chartrand is of French origin, stemming from the northern regions of France. It is believed to have originated during the late 11th century or early 12th century. The name is derived from the Old French words "char" and "trant," which together mean "one who pulls a cart or wagon."

This surname was likely initially given as an occupational name to individuals whose trade involved transporting goods or materials by cart or wagon. It later became a hereditary surname passed down through generations. The earliest known record of the name Chartrand appears in a census document from the village of Arleux, in the Pas-de-Calais region of northern France, dating back to 1196.

One notable early bearer of the name was Guillaume Chartrand, a merchant and landowner born in Arras, France, around 1250. He is mentioned in several historical documents related to trade and land disputes in the region during the late 13th century.

As the Chartrand family spread throughout France, variations in spelling emerged, including Chartran, Chartrande, and Chartrant. The name also made its way to other parts of Europe, particularly Belgium and the Netherlands, where similar spelling variations exist.

In the 16th century, a branch of the Chartrand family settled in the Normandy region of France. One prominent member was Jean Chartrand (1523-1597), a landowner and local official in the town of Rouen.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, several Chartrands immigrated to the French colonies in North America, particularly in what is now Quebec, Canada. One of the earliest recorded Chartrands in Canada was René Chartrand, who arrived in Quebec City in 1663 from the Normandy region of France.

Another notable bearer of the name was Jacques Chartrand (1701-1772), a farmer and militia captain in the Seigneury of Île d'Orléans near Quebec City. He played a role in the defense of the colony during the French and Indian War.

Throughout history, the Chartrand surname has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, including artisans, merchants, farmers, soldiers, and public officials. While the name has maintained a strong presence in France and French-speaking regions of Canada, it has also spread to other parts of the world through immigration and family migrations.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Chartrand

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!