2000
#2,679
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,403
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.60
Uncommon Last name
Cheatham
A habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "homestead by a wood," from Old English elements.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 13,788 Americans carry the last name Cheatham. That puts it at #2,923 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.02 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 24,859 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cheatham 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 Cheatham with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
14K
1 in 24,859
Census rank
#2,923
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
12K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 12,024 bearers of the surname Cheatham in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.02 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2923rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cheatham, the largest self-reported group is White at 53.0%. The next largest groups are Black (37.3%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cheatham
The surname CHEATHAM has its origins in England, emerging during the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "ceat" (meaning a cottage or hut) and "ham" (a homestead or village), suggesting that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived in a small dwelling or hamlet.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name CHEATHAM can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive survey of landholdings and population in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. This record mentions a certain Leofric de Chetham, who held lands in the county of Lancashire.
During the 13th century, the name appeared in various forms, such as Chetham, Chetam, and Cheetham, reflecting the varying spellings and pronunciations of the time. One notable bearer of the name was Sir Geoffrey de Chetham, a knight who fought in the Scottish Wars of Independence under King Edward I in the late 13th century.
The CHEATHAM name is also associated with the town of Cheetham, now a district of Manchester, which likely took its name from the surname. Historical records indicate that the Chetham family held significant landholdings and influence in this area during the medieval and early modern periods.
Among the notable individuals who carried the CHEATHAM surname throughout history is Humphrey Chetham (1580-1653), a wealthy merchant and philanthropist who founded Chetham's Hospital and Library in Manchester, one of the oldest public libraries in Britain.
Another prominent figure was James Chetham (1640-1692), an English clergyman and academic who served as the principal of St. Edmund Hall, Oxford, and was known for his contributions to theological scholarship.
In the realm of literature, John Chetham (1700-1767) was an English poet and translator, renowned for his translations of classical works from Latin and Greek.
The CHEATHAM name has also been associated with military service, as exemplified by Sir Humphrey Chetham (1788-1870), a British Army officer who fought in the Napoleonic Wars and later served as a Member of Parliament.
Across the Atlantic, one of the earliest recorded instances of the CHEATHAM surname in America was James Cheatham (1741-1819), a soldier and politician who served as a colonel in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War and later as a member of the Tennessee state legislature.
While this summary covers some of the notable historical figures and origins of the CHEATHAM surname, it is important to note that the name's history is rich and diverse, with many more individuals and stories that have contributed to its legacy over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cheatham
Among Census respondents with the surname Cheatham, the largest self-reported group is White at 53.0%. The next largest groups are Black (37.3%) and Two or More Races (5.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Cheatham 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 Cheatham surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White53.0% · 6,370
- Black or African American37.3% · 4,490
- Two or more races5.1% · 616
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 440
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 67
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 41
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cheatham
Cheatham 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
#2,802
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,852
+449 bearers (+3.6%)
Per 100,000 4.36
Rank movement Down 123 places
2020
#2,923
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,024
-828 bearers (-6.4%)
Per 100,000 4.02
Rank movement Down 121 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,679 | 12,403 | 4.60 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,802 | 12,852 | 4.36 | +449 bearers (+3.6%) | Down 123 places |
| 2020 | #2,923 | 12,024 | 4.02 | -828 bearers (-6.4%) | Down 121 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 Cheatham 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 | #2,802 | #2,923 | -4.3% |
| Count | 12,852 | 12,024 | -6.4% |
| Per 100K | 4.36 | 4.02 | -7.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cheatham bearers went from 12,852 to 12,024 (-6.4% change). The surname moved down 121 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,802 to #2,923.
FAQ
Cheatham surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cheatham?
Name Census estimates that about 13,788 living Americans carry the surname Cheatham. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 24,859 residents.
How common is Cheatham?
Cheatham ranks #2,923 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.02 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 12,024 people with the surname Cheatham. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (13,788), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.02 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.02 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Cheatham.
Has Cheatham become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cheatham went from 12,852 recorded bearers to 12,024. That is a decrease of 828 (-6.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,802 to #2,923.
What does the Census say about the background of Cheatham?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cheatham, the largest self-reported group is White at 53.0%. The next largest groups are Black (37.3%) 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 Cheatham in the 2020 Census, accounting for 53.0% (6,370 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cheatham appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (53.0%), Black (37.3%), 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 Cheatham (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 Cheatham mean?
A habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "homestead by a wood," from Old English elements. 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 Cheatham (4.02 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 last name Cheatham?
Want to know how many people have the surname Cheatham? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.