2010
#153,769
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Chaux
A French surname referring to lime production or lime burners.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 128 Americans carry the last name Chaux. That puts it at #147,954 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,677,768 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Chaux 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
128
1 in 2,677,768
Census rank
#147,954
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
112
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 112 bearers of the surname Chaux in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147954th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Chaux, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 87.5%. The next largest groups are White (9.8%) and Black (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Chaux
The surname CHAUX originates from France and can be traced back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old French word "chaux," which means "limestone" or "chalk." This suggests that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived near or worked with limestone or chalk deposits.
In the early records, the name appeared with various spellings, such as Chalx, Chaulx, and Chaux. One of the earliest known references to the name can be found in the Cartulaire de l'Abbaye de Cluny, a medieval manuscript from the late 12th century, which mentions a person named Petrus de Chaux.
During the Middle Ages, the CHAUX name was particularly prevalent in the regions of Burgundy and Franche-Comté, where limestone was abundant and played a significant role in the local economy and construction.
One notable figure with this surname was Philibert de Chaux, a 16th-century French architect who was responsible for the design and construction of several prominent buildings in Dijon, including the Church of Saint-Michel and the Palais de Justice.
Another historical figure was Jean-Baptiste de Chaux, born in 1671 in Besançon, who was a renowned mathematician and astronomer. He made significant contributions to the study of celestial mechanics and the calculation of planetary orbits.
In the 17th century, the CHAUX name also appeared in records from the Duchy of Lorraine, where a family of that name held noble status. One member, François de Chaux, born in 1635, served as a military officer and participated in several campaigns during the Thirty Years' War.
Moving forward to the 18th century, Claude-François Chaux, born in 1714 in Dijon, was a prominent French architect who designed several churches and public buildings in his hometown and the surrounding region.
Lastly, Étienne Chaux, born in 1792 in Besançon, was a French writer and poet who gained recognition for his works celebrating the landscapes and cultural heritage of the Franche-Comté region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Chaux
Among Census respondents with the surname Chaux, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 87.5%. The next largest groups are White (9.8%) and Black (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Chaux 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 Chaux surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino87.5% · 98
- White9.8% · 11
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Chaux
Chaux appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#147,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
+6 bearers (+5.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 5,815 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #153,769 | 106 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #147,954 | 112 | 0.04 | +6 bearers (+5.7%) | Up 5,815 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 Chaux 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 | #153,769 | #147,954 | 3.8% |
| Count | 106 | 112 | 5.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Chaux bearers went from 106 to 112 (+5.7% change). The surname moved up 5,815 positions in the national ranking, going from #153,769 to #147,954.
FAQ
Chaux surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Chaux?
Name Census estimates that about 128 living Americans carry the surname Chaux. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,677,768 residents.
How common is Chaux?
Chaux ranks #147,954 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 112 people with the surname Chaux. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (128), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Chaux.
Has Chaux become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Chaux went from 106 recorded bearers to 112. That is an increase of 6 (+5.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #153,769 to #147,954.
What does the Census say about the background of Chaux?
Among Census respondents with the surname Chaux, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 87.5%. The next largest groups are White (9.8%) and Black (0.9%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Chaux in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.5% (98 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Chaux appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (87.5%), White (9.8%), Black (0.9%). 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 Chaux (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 Chaux mean?
A French surname referring to lime production or lime burners. 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 Chaux (0.04 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 Chaux?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the surname Chaux on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.