2000
#11,356
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,548
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.94
Rare Last name
Chasse
A French occupational surname referring to a huntsman or someone involved in the hunt.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,809 Americans carry the last name Chasse. That puts it at #12,147 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.82 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 122,020 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Chasse 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
2.8K
1 in 122,020
Census rank
#12,147
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,450 bearers of the surname Chasse in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.82 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12147th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Chasse, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (1.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Chasse
The surname Chasse originates from France, and its roots can be traced back to the 12th century. This name is derived from the Old French word "chasser," which means "to hunt" or "to chase." The earliest known reference to this name dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it was recorded as "Chasseur."
In the Middle Ages, the name Chasse was typically associated with individuals who worked as hunters or gamekeepers. These individuals were responsible for managing and maintaining hunting grounds for nobility and royalty. The name was particularly prevalent in the regions of Normandy and Brittany, where hunting was a popular pastime among the aristocracy.
One of the earliest recorded individuals bearing the surname Chasse was Raoul Chasse, a nobleman and landowner from Normandy, who lived in the late 12th century. Another notable figure was Jean Chasse, a renowned huntsman who served in the court of King Louis IX of France in the 13th century.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the name Chasse began to spread across France and beyond. Several variations of the spelling emerged, including Chassé, Chassey, and Chassier. One of the most famous individuals with this name was François Chassé, a French general who fought in the Napoleonic Wars and played a crucial role in the Battle of Waterloo in 1815.
In the 18th century, the name Chasse was also found in various regions of Germany, where it was spelled as Chasse or Chassé. One notable German bearer of this name was Johann Christoph Chassé, a philosopher and academic who lived from 1723 to 1795.
As the name Chasse spread across Europe, it also found its way to England and other parts of the British Isles. One of the earliest recorded instances of this name in England was William Chasse, a landowner from Wiltshire who lived in the late 14th century. Another notable figure was Sir John Chasse, a British military officer who served in the Crimean War in the mid-19th century.
Throughout history, the surname Chasse has been associated with various professions, including hunting, military service, and academia. While its origins can be traced back to medieval France, the name has since become widespread across Europe and beyond, with numerous variations in spelling and pronunciation.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Chasse
Among Census respondents with the surname Chasse, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (1.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Chasse 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 Chasse surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.5% · 2,290
- Two or more races3.8% · 92
- Hispanic or Latino1.3% · 31
- Black or African American0.7% · 17
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Chasse
Chasse 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
#11,829
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,646
+98 bearers (+3.8%)
Per 100,000 0.90
Rank movement Down 473 places
2020
#12,147
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,450
-196 bearers (-7.4%)
Per 100,000 0.82
Rank movement Down 318 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,356 | 2,548 | 0.94 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,829 | 2,646 | 0.90 | +98 bearers (+3.8%) | Down 473 places |
| 2020 | #12,147 | 2,450 | 0.82 | -196 bearers (-7.4%) | Down 318 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 Chasse 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 | #11,829 | #12,147 | -2.7% |
| Count | 2,646 | 2,450 | -7.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.90 | 0.82 | -8.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Chasse bearers went from 2,646 to 2,450 (-7.4% change). The surname moved down 318 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,829 to #12,147.
FAQ
Chasse surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Chasse?
Name Census estimates that about 2,809 living Americans carry the surname Chasse. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 122,020 residents.
How common is Chasse?
Chasse ranks #12,147 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.82 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 2,450 people with the surname Chasse. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,809), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.82 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.82 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 Chasse.
Has Chasse become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Chasse went from 2,646 recorded bearers to 2,450. That is a decrease of 196 (-7.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,829 to #12,147.
What does the Census say about the background of Chasse?
Among Census respondents with the surname Chasse, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (1.3%). 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 Chasse in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.5% (2,290 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Chasse appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.5%), Two or More Races (3.8%), Hispanic (1.3%). 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 Chasse (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 Chasse mean?
A French occupational surname referring to a huntsman or someone involved in the hunt. 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 Chasse (0.82 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 are called Chasse?
Want to know how common the surname Chasse is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.