2010
#144,141
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Chaver
A surname of Sephardic Jewish origin potentially derived from the Hebrew word "chaver" meaning friend or companion.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Chaver. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Chaver 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
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Chaver in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Chaver, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 80.0%. The next largest groups are White (14.8%) and Black (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Chaver
The surname "CHAVER" is believed to have originated in Spain during the medieval period. It is likely derived from the Spanish word "chavo," which means "young man" or "boy." This suggests that the name may have been initially given as a nickname or descriptive name to someone who was perceived as youthful or boyish in appearance or behavior.
The earliest recorded instances of the name date back to the 13th century in various regions of Spain, including Catalonia and Aragon. It is possible that the name was associated with specific places or villages, as many surnames emerged from locational names during this time. However, no definitive records have been found linking "CHAVER" to a particular place or geographical area.
One of the earliest documented individuals with the surname "CHAVER" was Juan Chaver, a merchant and landowner who lived in Valencia, Spain, in the late 15th century. He is mentioned in several historical records related to property transactions and business dealings in the region.
In the 16th century, the name appears in various Spanish manuscripts and documents, indicating that it had become more widely established as a surname. One notable individual from this period was Tomás Chaver, a renowned artist and sculptor from Seville who created several works for churches and cathedrals throughout Spain between 1520 and 1585.
As the Spanish Empire expanded and colonized other parts of the world, the surname "CHAVER" likely spread to various regions, including the Americas and the Philippines. In the 17th century, records show that a family with the surname "CHAVER" settled in Mexico City, where they became prominent landowners and merchants.
Another noteworthy individual with this surname was Diego Chaver, a Spanish explorer and navigator who accompanied Hernán Cortés on his expeditions to Mexico in the early 1500s. Chaver played a significant role in mapping and exploring the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific coast of Mexico during the conquest of the Aztec Empire.
In the 19th century, a prominent figure named Andrés Chaver emerged as a political leader and activist in Argentina, campaigning for workers' rights and social reforms. He was born in 1842 and played a crucial role in the labor movement and the establishment of trade unions in the country.
While the surname "CHAVER" has its roots in Spain, it has since spread to various parts of the world, including Latin America, the United States, and other regions with Spanish influence or immigration. However, its origins can be traced back to the medieval period in the Iberian Peninsula, where it likely began as a descriptive name or nickname before becoming an established surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Chaver
Among Census respondents with the surname Chaver, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 80.0%. The next largest groups are White (14.8%) and Black (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Chaver 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 Chaver surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino80.0% · 92
- White14.8% · 17
- Black or African American4.3% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Chaver
Chaver 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
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,616 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #144,141 | 115 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 1,616 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 Chaver 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 | #144,141 | #145,757 | -1.1% |
| Count | 115 | 115 | 0.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Chaver bearers went from 115 to 115 (+0.0% change). The surname moved down 1,616 positions in the national ranking, going from #144,141 to #145,757.
FAQ
Chaver surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Chaver?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Chaver. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Chaver?
Chaver ranks #145,757 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 115 people with the surname Chaver. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), 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 Chaver.
Has Chaver become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Chaver went from 115 recorded bearers to 115. That is an increase of 0 (+0.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #144,141 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Chaver?
Among Census respondents with the surname Chaver, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 80.0%. The next largest groups are White (14.8%) and Black (4.3%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Chaver in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.0% (92 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Chaver appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (80.0%), White (14.8%), Black (4.3%). 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 Chaver (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 Chaver mean?
A surname of Sephardic Jewish origin potentially derived from the Hebrew word "chaver" meaning friend or companion. 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 Chaver (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 have the last name Chaver?
If you just want to know how many people are called Chaver, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.