2000
#140,756
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Chavkin
A surname originating from the East Slavic region, possibly derived from the root "chav" meaning leather worker or shoemaker.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Chavkin. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Chavkin 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
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Chavkin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Chavkin, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Black (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Chavkin
The surname Chavkin is believed to have originated in Russia, with its earliest recorded instances dating back to the 16th century. It is derived from the Russian word "chavka," which means "chew" or "gnaw," suggesting that the name may have been initially given as a descriptive nickname or occupation related to someone who chewed or gnawed excessively.
The name Chavkin first appeared in historical records in the region of Novgorod, which was a prominent center of trade and commerce in medieval Russia. It is likely that the name was associated with individuals involved in the production or processing of food, such as bakers or millers, who may have chewed on grains or dough as part of their work.
One of the earliest documented instances of the name Chavkin can be found in the Novgorod Cadastre of 1500, a census-like document that recorded landowners and taxpayers in the Novgorod region. This record mentions a certain Ivan Chavkin, who owned a small plot of land near the town of Staraya Russa.
In the 17th century, the name Chavkin appeared in the Veliky Novgorod Chronicles, a collection of historical writings that documented the events and notable figures of the Novgorod Republic. These chronicles mention a merchant named Fyodor Chavkin, who traded in salt and grains along the Volga River trade routes.
As the Chavkin family spread throughout Russia, variations of the name emerged, such as Chavko, Chavchenko, and Chavchavadze. Some of these variations may have been influenced by regional dialects or transliterations into other languages.
One notable bearer of the Chavkin surname was Andrei Chavkin (1789-1857), a Russian painter and portraitist who studied at the Imperial Academy of Arts in St. Petersburg. His works can be found in various art galleries and museums across Russia.
Another prominent figure with the Chavkin name was Nikolai Chavkin (1835-1905), a Russian writer and journalist who contributed to several literary magazines and newspapers in the late 19th century. He was known for his satirical works and social commentary.
In the 20th century, Yuri Chavkin (1920-1995) was a renowned Russian chess player and International Master. He participated in numerous chess tournaments and authored several books on chess strategy and tactics.
It is worth noting that the Chavkin surname is not as widely spread or prevalent as some other Russian surnames, but it has a rich historical background and can be traced back to the medieval period in the Novgorod region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Chavkin
Among Census respondents with the surname Chavkin, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Black (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Chavkin 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 Chavkin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.0% · 109
- Two or more races2.6% · 3
- Black or African American1.7% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino1.7% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Chavkin
Chavkin 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
#142,108
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
+8 bearers (+7.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,352 places
2020
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
-1 bearers (-0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 2,920 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #140,756 | 109 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #142,108 | 117 | 0.04 | +8 bearers (+7.3%) | Down 1,352 places |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.9%) | Down 2,920 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 Chavkin 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 | #142,108 | #145,028 | -2.1% |
| Count | 117 | 116 | -0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Chavkin bearers went from 117 to 116 (-0.9% change). The surname moved down 2,920 positions in the national ranking, going from #142,108 to #145,028.
FAQ
Chavkin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Chavkin?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Chavkin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Chavkin?
Chavkin ranks #145,028 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 116 people with the surname Chavkin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), 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 Chavkin.
Has Chavkin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Chavkin went from 117 recorded bearers to 116. That is a decrease of 1 (-0.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #142,108 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Chavkin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Chavkin, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.6%) and Black (1.7%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Chavkin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.0% (109 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Chavkin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.0%), Two or More Races (2.6%), Black (1.7%). 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 Chavkin (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 Chavkin mean?
A surname originating from the East Slavic region, possibly derived from the root "chav" meaning leather worker or shoemaker. 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 Chavkin (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 Americans have the surname Chavkin?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.