2000
#2,140
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,566
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.77
Uncommon Last name
Cheek
An English nickname for someone with rosy or prominent cheeks, or a bold, impudent person.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 17,216 Americans carry the last name Cheek. That puts it at #2,371 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.02 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 19,909 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cheek 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 Cheek with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
17K
1 in 19,909
Census rank
#2,371
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
15K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 15,013 bearers of the surname Cheek in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.02 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2371st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cheek, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.8%. The next largest groups are Black (12.8%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cheek
The surname Cheek is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "cēace" which means "cheek" or "jaw". This name likely originated as a descriptive nickname referring to someone with prominent or distinctive cheeks.
The earliest recorded use of the surname Cheek dates back to the late 12th century in Essex, England. One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name was William Cheke, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Huntingdonshire in 1197.
The Cheek surname also appears in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, which were a census of landowners at the time. This record includes entries for individuals with the surname Cheek residing in various counties across England, including Oxfordshire, Berkshire, and Cambridgeshire.
During the 13th and 14th centuries, the name Cheek was often spelled in various ways, including Cheke, Chike, and Chyke, reflecting the regional dialects and variations in spelling at the time.
One notable bearer of the Cheek surname was Sir John Cheke (1514-1557), an English scholar, and Humanist who served as a tutor to King Edward VI. He is renowned for his contributions to the English language and his advocacy for the use of English as a written language.
Another notable figure was Henry Cheke (1701-1781), an English mathematician and author who published several works on algebra and geometry.
In the 19th century, the Cheek surname was associated with several prominent individuals, such as Ebenezer Cheek (1804-1884), an American farmer and politician who served as a representative in the Texas State Legislature.
Sarah Cheek (1828-1901) was a notable African American educator and activist who established one of the earliest schools for African American children in Washington, D.C., during the Civil War era.
The Cheek surname has also been linked to various place names in England, such as Cheekley in Staffordshire and Cheekhampton in Devon, which may have influenced the spelling and distribution of the name over time.
While the surname Cheek is primarily concentrated in England and the United States, it has also been documented in other parts of the world, likely due to migration and the spread of English-speaking populations.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cheek
Among Census respondents with the surname Cheek, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.8%. The next largest groups are Black (12.8%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Cheek 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 Cheek surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White77.8% · 11,685
- Black or African American12.8% · 1,924
- Two or more races4.8% · 726
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 437
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 147
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 94
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cheek
Cheek 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
#2,273
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,020
+454 bearers (+2.9%)
Per 100,000 5.43
Rank movement Down 133 places
2020
#2,371
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,013
-1,007 bearers (-6.3%)
Per 100,000 5.02
Rank movement Down 98 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,140 | 15,566 | 5.77 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,273 | 16,020 | 5.43 | +454 bearers (+2.9%) | Down 133 places |
| 2020 | #2,371 | 15,013 | 5.02 | -1,007 bearers (-6.3%) | Down 98 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 Cheek 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 | #2,273 | #2,371 | -4.3% |
| Count | 16,020 | 15,013 | -6.3% |
| Per 100K | 5.43 | 5.02 | -7.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cheek bearers went from 16,020 to 15,013 (-6.3% change). The surname moved down 98 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,273 to #2,371.
FAQ
Cheek surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cheek?
Name Census estimates that about 17,216 living Americans carry the surname Cheek. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 19,909 residents.
How common is Cheek?
Cheek ranks #2,371 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.02 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 15,013 people with the surname Cheek. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (17,216), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.02 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.02 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Cheek.
Has Cheek become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cheek went from 16,020 recorded bearers to 15,013. That is a decrease of 1,007 (-6.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,273 to #2,371.
What does the Census say about the background of Cheek?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cheek, the largest self-reported group is White at 77.8%. The next largest groups are Black (12.8%) and Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Cheek in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.8% (11,685 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cheek appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (77.8%), Black (12.8%), Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Cheek (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 Cheek mean?
An English nickname for someone with rosy or prominent cheeks, or a bold, impudent person. 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 Cheek (5.02 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 surname Cheek?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.