2000
#7,565
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,054
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.50
Rare Last name
Chatham
A locational surname referring to someone from Chatham, a town in Kent, England, meaning "homestead of Ceatta's people."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,516 Americans carry the last name Chatham. That puts it at #8,065 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.32 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 75,898 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Chatham 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Chatham with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.5K
1 in 75,898
Census rank
#8,065
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,938 bearers of the surname Chatham in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.32 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8065th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Chatham, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.5%. The next largest groups are Black (6.6%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Chatham
The surname Chatham originated in England, derived from the town of the same name located in Kent. The earliest recorded spellings of the place name date back to the 8th century, appearing as "Cetham" and "Chetham" in Old English texts.
The name Chatham is believed to come from the Old English words "caet" meaning "barn" and "ham" meaning "homestead" or "village". This suggests that the original settlement may have been centered around a large barn or farmstead. In the Domesday Book of 1086, the town is recorded as "Ceteham".
One of the earliest documented individuals with the surname Chatham was William de Chatham, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Kent in 1230. Another early record is that of John de Chetham, listed in the Assize Rolls of Lancashire in 1284.
During the Middle Ages, the Chatham family was prominent in Kent, with members holding positions of influence in the local community. Notably, Sir John Chatham served as High Sheriff of Kent in 1422.
As the surname spread across England, variations in spelling arose, including Chetham, Cheatham, and Chattam. One notable bearer of this name was Humphrey Chetham (1580-1653), a wealthy merchant and philanthropist from Manchester, who founded Chetham's Hospital and Library, one of the oldest public libraries in Britain.
Other historical figures with the surname Chatham include Sir John Pardo Chatham (1685-1762), a British naval officer who served as Commander-in-Chief of the East Indies Station, and William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham (1708-1778), a prominent British statesman and Prime Minister during the Seven Years' War.
In the United States, one of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname was Edward Chatham, who settled in Virginia in 1623. Another notable American bearing this name was Thomas Chatham (1770-1854), a soldier and politician who served as a brigadier general during the War of 1812.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Chatham
Among Census respondents with the surname Chatham, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.5%. The next largest groups are Black (6.6%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Chatham 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 Chatham surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.5% · 3,328
- Black or African American6.6% · 259
- Two or more races4.1% · 160
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 127
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.4% · 57
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Chatham
Chatham 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
#8,155
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,066
+12 bearers (+0.3%)
Per 100,000 1.38
Rank movement Down 590 places
2020
#8,065
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,938
-128 bearers (-3.1%)
Per 100,000 1.32
Rank movement Up 90 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,565 | 4,054 | 1.50 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,155 | 4,066 | 1.38 | +12 bearers (+0.3%) | Down 590 places |
| 2020 | #8,065 | 3,938 | 1.32 | -128 bearers (-3.1%) | Up 90 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 Chatham 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 | #8,155 | #8,065 | 1.1% |
| Count | 4,066 | 3,938 | -3.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.38 | 1.32 | -4.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Chatham bearers went from 4,066 to 3,938 (-3.1% change). The surname moved up 90 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,155 to #8,065.
FAQ
Chatham surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Chatham?
Name Census estimates that about 4,516 living Americans carry the surname Chatham. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 75,898 residents.
How common is Chatham?
Chatham ranks #8,065 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.32 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 3,938 people with the surname Chatham. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,516), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.32 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.32 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 Chatham.
Has Chatham become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Chatham went from 4,066 recorded bearers to 3,938. That is a decrease of 128 (-3.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #8,155 to #8,065.
What does the Census say about the background of Chatham?
Among Census respondents with the surname Chatham, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.5%. The next largest groups are Black (6.6%) and Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Chatham in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.5% (3,328 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Chatham appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.5%), Black (6.6%), Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Chatham (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 Chatham mean?
A locational surname referring to someone from Chatham, a town in Kent, England, meaning "homestead of Ceatta's people." 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 Chatham (1.32 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 Chatham?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.