2000
#17,363
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,500
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.56
Rare Last name
Che
A Chinese surname derived from a word meaning "cart" or "vehicle," likely referring to an ancestor's occupation.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,733 Americans carry the last name Che. That puts it at #9,550 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.09 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 91,817 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Che 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 Che with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.7K
1 in 91,817
Census rank
#9,550
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,255 bearers of the surname Che in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.09 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9550th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Che, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 74.2%. The next largest groups are Black (11.5%) and Hispanic (7.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Che
The surname Che has its origins in Italy, with the earliest recorded instances dating back to the 14th century. It is believed to have derived from the Italian word "chè," which is a contraction of the phrase "che è" meaning "what is." This suggests that the name may have originally been a nickname or a descriptive term.
One of the earliest known bearers of the surname Che was Giovanni Che, a merchant from the city of Genoa, who lived in the late 14th century. Records from this time period indicate that he was involved in the lucrative trade between Italy and the Byzantine Empire.
In the 15th century, the Che family was prominent in the city of Florence, and their name can be found in various historical documents and records from that era. Notably, a certain Giulio Che was a respected philosopher and scholar who wrote extensively on the works of Aristotle.
The Che surname also has ties to the town of Ché, located in the province of Pavia, in northern Italy. It is possible that some branches of the Che family originated from this place and took the town's name as their surname.
A notable figure bearing the Che surname was Guido Che (1450-1517), a renowned architect from Milan who was responsible for the design and construction of several significant buildings, including the Church of San Maurizio al Monastero Maggiore.
In the 18th century, the Che family gained prominence in the field of medicine, with Giuseppe Che (1725-1802) being a highly respected physician and professor at the University of Padua. His contributions to the study of anatomy and physiology were widely recognized during his lifetime.
Another individual of note was Ernesto Che (1820-1892), a Italian politician and statesman who served as the Mayor of Rome from 1870 to 1876. He played a crucial role in the city's development and modernization following the unification of Italy.
While the Che surname has its roots in Italy, it has since spread to other parts of the world, including South America, where it gained particular prominence through the famous revolutionary Ernesto "Che" Guevara (1928-1967), although his first name was not a surname but a nickname derived from his Argentine Spanish pronunciation of the word "che."
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Che
Among Census respondents with the surname Che, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 74.2%. The next largest groups are Black (11.5%) and Hispanic (7.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Che 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 Che surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander74.2% · 2,415
- Black or African American11.5% · 374
- Hispanic or Latino7.4% · 242
- White4.0% · 131
- Two or more races2.2% · 73
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 20
Timeline
Historical Census data for Che
Che 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
#12,865
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,393
+893 bearers (+59.5%)
Per 100,000 0.81
Rank movement Up 4,498 places
2020
#9,550
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,255
+862 bearers (+36.0%)
Per 100,000 1.09
Rank movement Up 3,315 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #17,363 | 1,500 | 0.56 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,865 | 2,393 | 0.81 | +893 bearers (+59.5%) | Up 4,498 places |
| 2020 | #9,550 | 3,255 | 1.09 | +862 bearers (+36.0%) | Up 3,315 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 Che 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 | #12,865 | #9,550 | 25.8% |
| Count | 2,393 | 3,255 | 36.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.81 | 1.09 | 34.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Che bearers went from 2,393 to 3,255 (+36.0% change). The surname moved up 3,315 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,865 to #9,550.
FAQ
Che surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Che?
Name Census estimates that about 3,733 living Americans carry the surname Che. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 91,817 residents.
How common is Che?
Che ranks #9,550 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.09 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,255 people with the surname Che. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,733), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.09 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.09 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Che.
Has Che become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Che went from 2,393 recorded bearers to 3,255. That is an increase of 862 (+36.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #12,865 to #9,550.
What does the Census say about the background of Che?
Among Census respondents with the surname Che, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 74.2%. The next largest groups are Black (11.5%) and Hispanic (7.4%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Che in the 2020 Census, accounting for 74.2% (2,415 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Che appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (74.2%), Black (11.5%), Hispanic (7.4%). 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 Che (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 Che mean?
A Chinese surname derived from a word meaning "cart" or "vehicle," likely referring to an ancestor's occupation. 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 Che (1.09 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 surname Che?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.