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

Chateau, 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 Chateau surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Chateau in America

Chateau is the 83834th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Chateau surname appeared 224 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 Chateau.

We can also compare 2010 data for Chateau 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 Chateau

The surname Chateau originated in France during the medieval period. It is derived from the French word "château," which means "castle" or "manor house." The name likely referred to someone who lived or worked in a château, or was associated with one in some way.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname Chateau can be traced back to the 12th century in regions such as Normandy, Burgundy, and Île-de-France. It was often spelled in various ways, including Chastiau, Chasteau, and Chasteel, reflecting the variations in pronunciation and spelling during that era.

One of the earliest known references to the name Chateau is found in the Cartulaire de l'abbaye de Saint-Victor de Marseille, a medieval manuscript dating back to the late 12th century. This document mentions an individual named Petrus de Castello, which translates to Peter of the Castle or Peter Chateau.

In the 13th century, a nobleman named Guillaumede Chateau was recorded as a participant in the Seventh Crusade, led by King Louis IX of France. This historical reference suggests that the Chateau name was associated with nobility and military service during that period.

One of the earliest known Chateaus of notable standing was Jean Chateau, a French poet and playwright who lived in the late 15th and early 16th centuries (c. 1460-1520). He was renowned for his contributions to the Renaissance literature of his time.

During the 16th century, a French explorer and navigator named Pierre Du Gua de Monts, also known as Pierre Chateau (c. 1558-1628), played a significant role in the colonization of Canada. He established the first French settlement in North America, known as Port-Royal, in what is now Nova Scotia.

Another prominent individual with the surname Chateau was René Chateau (1679-1744), a French architect and engineer who designed several notable buildings, including the Église Saint-Louis-des-Invalides in Paris and the Château de Lunéville in northeastern France.

In the 18th century, a French military officer named François-Joseph Chateau (1742-1813) gained recognition for his service during the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. He rose to the rank of General and was awarded the prestigious Légion d'Honneur for his contributions.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Chateau

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

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

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

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