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

Chauncey, 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 Chauncey surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Chauncey in America

Chauncey is the 19796th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Chauncey surname appeared 1,359 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 Chauncey.

We can also compare 2010 data for Chauncey 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 Chauncey

The surname Chauncey is of Old French origin, derived from the French place name Chancy, a commune in the modern-day Canton of Geneva, Switzerland. The name is believed to have emerged during the Norman Conquest of England in the 11th century.

The earliest known record of the surname Chauncey can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Chanci" and "Chauncy." This suggests that the name was brought to England by Norman settlers shortly after the conquest in 1066.

In the 12th century, the surname was spelled variously as "Chaunci," "Chauncy," and "Chauncie." These variations likely arose due to regional dialects and the inconsistent spelling conventions of the time.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Chauncey was Sir William Chauncey (c. 1130-1199), a Norman knight and landowner from Hertfordshire, England. He held estates in several counties and was a prominent figure in the court of King Henry II.

Another notable bearer of the name was Sir Henry Chauncey (c. 1380-1459), a member of the English gentry and a supporter of the House of Lancaster during the Wars of the Roses. He served as Sheriff of Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire and was knighted for his military service.

In the 16th century, the Chauncey family established itself in Hertfordshire, where they built the manor house of Edgcott. One of the most prominent members of this line was Sir Henry Chauncey (1556-1624), a Member of Parliament and High Sheriff of Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire.

The surname Chauncey also has a connection to the United States, as several Chaunceys emigrated from England to the American colonies in the 17th century. One of the earliest was Reverend Charles Chauncey (1592-1672), who served as the second President of Harvard College from 1654 to 1672.

Another notable American Chauncey was Isaac Chauncey (1772-1840), a naval officer who served during the War of 1812 and was responsible for several victories on the Great Lakes, including the Battle of Lake Erie.

Throughout history, the surname Chauncey has been associated with various place names, such as Chauncy Park in Hertfordshire and Chauncy Hill in Massachusetts, both named after members of the Chauncey family.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Chauncey

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

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

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

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