2000
#118
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 185,865
First available Census row
Per 100,000 68.90
Common Last name
Chavez
A Spanish surname derived from the medieval given name "Chaves," which comes from the Latin "flavius," meaning golden-haired or fair-haired.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 280,032 Americans carry the last name Chavez. That puts it at #84 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 81.70 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,224 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Chavez 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 Chavez with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
280K
1 in 1,224
Census rank
#84
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
81.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
244K
common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 244,201 bearers of the surname Chavez in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 81.70 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 84th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Chavez, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.1%. The next largest groups are White (5.5%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Chavez
Among Census respondents with the surname Chavez, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.1%. The next largest groups are White (5.5%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Chavez 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 Chavez surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino92.1% · 224,827
- White5.5% · 13,395
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 2,422
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1,943
- Two or more races0.4% · 902
- Black or African American0.3% · 712
Timeline
Historical Census data for Chavez
Chavez 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
#83
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 250,898
+65,033 bearers (+35.0%)
Per 100,000 85.06
Rank movement Up 35 places
2020
#84
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 244,201
-6,697 bearers (-2.7%)
Per 100,000 81.70
Rank movement Down 1 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #118 | 185,865 | 68.90 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #83 | 250,898 | 85.06 | +65,033 bearers (+35.0%) | Up 35 places |
| 2020 | #84 | 244,201 | 81.70 | -6,697 bearers (-2.7%) | Down 1 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 Chavez 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 | #83 | #84 | -1.2% |
| Count | 250,898 | 244,201 | -2.7% |
| Per 100K | 85.06 | 81.70 | -3.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Chavez bearers went from 250,898 to 244,201 (-2.7% change). The surname moved down 1 positions in the national ranking, going from #83 to #84.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Chavez
FAQ
Chavez surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Chavez?
Name Census estimates that about 280,032 living Americans carry the surname Chavez. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,224 residents.
How common is Chavez?
Chavez ranks #84 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Common." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 81.70 per 100,000 residents, which is about 82 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 244,201 people with the surname Chavez. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (280,032), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 81.7 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 81.70 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 82 of them to have the surname Chavez.
Has Chavez become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Chavez went from 250,898 recorded bearers to 244,201. That is a decrease of 6,697 (-2.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #83 to #84.
What does the Census say about the background of Chavez?
Among Census respondents with the surname Chavez, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 92.1%. The next largest groups are White (5.5%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.0%). 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 Chavez in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.1% (224,827 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Chavez appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (92.1%), White (5.5%), American Indian/Alaska Native (1.0%). 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 Chavez (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 Chavez mean?
A Spanish surname derived from the medieval given name "Chaves," which comes from the Latin "flavius," meaning golden-haired or fair-haired. 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 Chavez (81.70 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 Chavez?
You can see how many people have the last name Chavez on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.