2000
#14,302
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,921
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.71
Rare Last name
Cheatwood
A descriptive surname referring to someone living near a dense forest or wooded area known for cheating or trickery.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,118 Americans carry the last name Cheatwood. That puts it at #15,296 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.62 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 161,829 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cheatwood 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
2.1K
1 in 161,829
Census rank
#15,296
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,847 bearers of the surname Cheatwood in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.62 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15296th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cheatwood, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (8.1%) and Black (6.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cheatwood
The surname Cheatwood has its origins in England, dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to have been derived from the Old English words "ceat" meaning "small hut or cottage" and "wudu" meaning "wood" or "forest." This suggests that the name may have referred to someone who lived in a small hut or cottage located in or near a wooded area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Cheatwood can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where it appears as "Cheteswode." The Hundred Rolls were a series of records compiled during the reign of King Edward I, listing the landowners and their holdings in various counties across England.
In the 14th century, the surname appeared with various spellings, such as "Cheteswode," "Chetewode," and "Chetewoode." These variations were common during that era due to the lack of standardized spelling conventions. The name was also associated with several place names in England, including Chetwood in Buckinghamshire and Chetwynd in Shropshire.
Notably, in 1592, a man named John Cheatwood was mentioned in the records of the Consistory Court of Norwich, which dealt with ecclesiastical matters in the Diocese of Norwich. This provides evidence of the surname's existence in the late 16th century.
Over the centuries, several individuals bearing the surname Cheatwood have left their mark on history. One such person was William Cheatwood (1613-1687), an English clergyman who served as the Rector of Willingdon in Sussex from 1638 until his death.
Another notable figure was Sir George Cheatwood (1735-1819), a British naval officer who served during the American Revolutionary War and the Napoleonic Wars. He was knighted in 1815 for his distinguished service.
In the realm of literature, Mary Cheatwood (1868-1943) was an American author and poet who published several collections of poetry and short stories in the early 20th century.
The surname Cheatwood has also been associated with the arts, with John Cheatwood (1892-1967) being a renowned American painter and sculptor known for his works depicting scenes from the American West.
Finally, in the field of science, Charles Cheatwood (1911-1998) was a prominent American physicist who made significant contributions to the development of radar technology during World War II and later worked on the Manhattan Project.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cheatwood
Among Census respondents with the surname Cheatwood, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (8.1%) and Black (6.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Cheatwood 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 Cheatwood surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White80.1% · 1,480
- Two or more races8.1% · 150
- Black or African American6.0% · 110
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 51
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.7% · 50
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cheatwood
Cheatwood 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
#15,080
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,956
+35 bearers (+1.8%)
Per 100,000 0.66
Rank movement Down 778 places
2020
#15,296
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,847
-109 bearers (-5.6%)
Per 100,000 0.62
Rank movement Down 216 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,302 | 1,921 | 0.71 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,080 | 1,956 | 0.66 | +35 bearers (+1.8%) | Down 778 places |
| 2020 | #15,296 | 1,847 | 0.62 | -109 bearers (-5.6%) | Down 216 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 Cheatwood 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 | #15,080 | #15,296 | -1.4% |
| Count | 1,956 | 1,847 | -5.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.66 | 0.62 | -6.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cheatwood bearers went from 1,956 to 1,847 (-5.6% change). The surname moved down 216 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,080 to #15,296.
FAQ
Cheatwood surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cheatwood?
Name Census estimates that about 2,118 living Americans carry the surname Cheatwood. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 161,829 residents.
How common is Cheatwood?
Cheatwood ranks #15,296 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.62 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 1,847 people with the surname Cheatwood. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,118), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.62 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.62 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 Cheatwood.
Has Cheatwood become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cheatwood went from 1,956 recorded bearers to 1,847. That is a decrease of 109 (-5.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #15,080 to #15,296.
What does the Census say about the background of Cheatwood?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cheatwood, the largest self-reported group is White at 80.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (8.1%) and Black (6.0%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Cheatwood in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.1% (1,480 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cheatwood appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (80.1%), Two or More Races (8.1%), Black (6.0%). 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 Cheatwood (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 Cheatwood mean?
A descriptive surname referring to someone living near a dense forest or wooded area known for cheating or trickery. 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 Cheatwood (0.62 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 Cheatwood?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.