Chary last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Chary

A surname indicating cautious or wary behavior.

Chary, 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 Chary surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Chary in America

Chary is the 108199th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Chary surname appeared 164 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Chary.

We can also compare 2010 data for Chary 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 108199 104257 3.71%
Count 164 159 3.10%
Proportion per 100k 0.06 0.06 0.00%

The history of the last name Chary

The surname Chary has its origins in France, first appearing in records during the late 12th century. It is derived from the Old French word "charie," meaning "dear" or "precious." Initially centered in the northern regions of France, the name likely originated as a nickname for someone considered dear or beloved by their community.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Chary can be found in the Cartulaire de l'abbaye de Saint-Bertin, a medieval manuscript dating back to 1199. This document mentions a certain "Raoul Chary," a resident of the town of Saint-Omer in northern France.

During the 14th century, the name appeared in various tax rolls and census records throughout Normandy and Picardy. For example, the Roles de l'Échiquier de Normandie from 1342 lists a "Jehan Chary" as a landowner in the village of Pont-Audemer.

In the 15th century, the surname Chary began to spread beyond the northern regions of France. Notable individuals from this time period include Étienne Chary, a merchant from Lyon born in 1437, and Guillemette Chary, a prominent figure in the Parisian guilds who lived from 1458 to 1522.

As the centuries progressed, the surname Chary continued to be found across various regions of France, with slight variations in spelling such as Charry, Charey, and Charé. In the 18th century, a prominent French military officer named Charles-René Chary (1732-1808) served in the Seven Years' War and later became a brigadier general under Napoleon.

Other notable figures with the surname Chary throughout history include:

  • Jean-Baptiste Chary (1765-1834), a French painter and engraver
  • Émile Chary (1818-1897), a French journalist and writer
  • Henri Chary (1876-1942), a French politician and lawyer
  • Fernand Chary (1887-1957), a French architect and urban planner
  • Roger Chary (1914-2000), a French resistance fighter during World War II

While the surname Chary originated in France, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and immigration. However, its roots can be traced back to the northern regions of France, where it first emerged as a nickname reflecting endearment and affection.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Chary

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

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 Chary was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 23.17% 38
Non-Hispanic Black Only 3.66% 6
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 67.68% 111
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races (S)% (S)
Hispanic Origin 3.66% 6

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 Chary has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 23.17% 37.11% -46.25%
Black 3.66% 3.14% 15.29%
Asian and Pacific Islander 67.68% 50.94% 28.22%
American Indian and Alaskan Native (S)% 0.00% (S)%
Two or More Races (S)% 5.66% (S)%
Hispanic 3.66% 3.14% 15.29%

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

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

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"Chary last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on December 2, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/chary-surname-popularity/.

"Chary last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/chary-surname-popularity/. Accessed 2 December, 2024

Chary last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/chary-surname-popularity/.

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