2010
#142,108
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Chayet
A surname of French origin potentially referring to someone who dealt in cheese or dairy products.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 114 Americans carry the last name Chayet. That puts it at #156,005 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,006,617 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Chayet 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
114
1 in 3,006,617
Census rank
#156,005
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
99
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 99 bearers of the surname Chayet in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 156005th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Chayet, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (15.2%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Chayet
The surname Chayet is believed to have originated in France, with its earliest known roots dating back to the 12th century. The name is thought to be derived from the Old French word "chayete," which referred to a type of cloak or mantle commonly worn during that period. This suggests that the name may have originally been an occupational surname, given to individuals who were involved in the production or trade of such garments.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Chayet can be found in the Cartulaire de l'abbaye de Saint-Victor de Marseille, a collection of medieval manuscripts from the 12th century. In this document, a certain "Petrus Chayet" is mentioned as a landowner in the region of Provence.
During the 13th century, the name Chayet appeared in various records and documents across different regions of France, indicating that it had begun to spread beyond its initial point of origin. For instance, in 1256, a "Guillelmus Chayet" is listed as a witness in a legal document from the city of Lyon.
As the name Chayet traveled across Europe, it underwent slight variations in spelling and pronunciation. In Italy, for example, it was sometimes rendered as "Chayetti" or "Chaietti." One notable figure with this Italian variation was Giovanni Chaietti (1534-1598), a renowned architect who contributed to the design of several churches and palaces in Rome during the Renaissance period.
In the 16th century, the name Chayet also found its way to England, where it was sometimes anglicized as "Chayett" or "Chayat." One notable English bearer of this name was Sir Robert Chayett (1567-1638), a merchant and member of the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths in London.
As the centuries passed, the Chayet name continued to spread across Europe and beyond, with various individuals leaving their mark in various fields. One such figure was Marie-Charlotte Chayet (1768-1852), a French painter and miniaturist who achieved recognition for her portraits of aristocratic figures during the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
Another noteworthy bearer of the Chayet name was Jean-Baptiste Chayet (1821-1897), a French military officer and explorer who participated in several expeditions to North Africa and the Middle East during the 19th century.
In the 20th century, the name Chayet gained further prominence with individuals like Henri Chayet (1901-1979), a French writer and journalist who covered various political events and conflicts during his career.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Chayet
Among Census respondents with the surname Chayet, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (15.2%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Chayet 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 Chayet surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White78.8% · 78
- Hispanic or Latino15.2% · 15
- Two or more races5.1% · 5
- Black or African American1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Chayet
Chayet 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
#156,005
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 99
-18 bearers (-15.4%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 13,897 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #142,108 | 117 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #156,005 | 99 | 0.03 | -18 bearers (-15.4%) | Down 13,897 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 Chayet 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 | #156,005 | -9.8% |
| Count | 117 | 99 | -15.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -17.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Chayet bearers went from 117 to 99 (-15.4% change). The surname moved down 13,897 positions in the national ranking, going from #142,108 to #156,005.
FAQ
Chayet surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Chayet?
Name Census estimates that about 114 living Americans carry the surname Chayet. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,006,617 residents.
How common is Chayet?
Chayet ranks #156,005 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 99 people with the surname Chayet. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (114), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Chayet.
Has Chayet become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Chayet went from 117 recorded bearers to 99. That is a decrease of 18 (-15.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #142,108 to #156,005.
What does the Census say about the background of Chayet?
Among Census respondents with the surname Chayet, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (15.2%) and Two or More Races (5.1%). 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 Chayet in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.8% (78 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Chayet appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (78.8%), Hispanic (15.2%), Two or More Races (5.1%). 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 Chayet (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 Chayet mean?
A surname of French origin potentially referring to someone who dealt in cheese or dairy products. 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 Chayet (0.03 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 share the surname Chayet?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.