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

Chavez, 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 Chavez surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Chavez in America

Chavez is the 83rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Chavez surname appeared 250,898 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 85 people would have the surname Chavez.

We can also compare 2010 data for Chavez 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 Chavez

The surname Chavez originates from Spain and is derived from the Spanish word "chavo," which means "boy" or "lad." It likely emerged as a nickname or descriptive name in the Middle Ages, referring to a young man or boy.

The earliest recorded instances of the name Chavez can be traced back to the 13th century in various regions of Spain, including Andalusia, Extremadura, and Castile. It was often spelled in different ways, such as Chaves, Chave, or Chave.

One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Pedro Fernandez Chaves, a Spanish nobleman who lived in the late 13th century and served as a knight under King Alfonso X of Castile.

During the 15th and 16th centuries, the Chavez surname gained prominence in Spain, and some notable individuals emerged. Juan Chavez, a Spanish explorer born in 1492, accompanied Hernán Cortés on his expedition to Mexico and played a significant role in the conquest of the Aztec Empire.

Another prominent figure was Alonso de Chaves, a Spanish cartographer and navigator born in 1492, who is credited with creating one of the first world maps to include the newly discovered Americas.

As the Spanish Empire expanded, the Chavez surname spread to various parts of the Americas, including Mexico, where it became particularly prevalent. One of the most famous bearers of the name was César Chávez, an American labor leader and civil rights activist born in 1927, who played a crucial role in the farm workers' movement and fought for better working conditions and rights for agricultural laborers.

In the 16th century, the Chavez surname was also found in various regions of Peru, where it is thought to have originated from Spanish settlers or soldiers. A notable figure was José Gabriel Condorcanqui, also known as Túpac Amaru II, a Peruvian rebel leader born in 1742, who led a significant uprising against Spanish colonial rule.

Throughout the centuries, the Chavez surname has been carried by numerous individuals across different fields, including politics, arts, and literature. Among them were Carlos Chavez, a renowned Mexican composer and conductor born in 1899, and Hugo Chavez, the former President of Venezuela, born in 1954, who served from 1999 until his death in 2013.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Chavez

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

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

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

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