Find out how popular the last name Cheema is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Cheema.

Cheema, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Cheema surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Cheema in America

Cheema is the 12312th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Cheema surname appeared 2,525 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Cheema.

We can also compare 2010 data for Cheema to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Cheema

The surname Cheema is of Punjabi origin, with its roots tracing back to the Indian subcontinent during the medieval period. This surname is derived from the word "Chheema," which in the Punjabi language refers to a village or settlement.

The earliest recorded instances of the Cheema surname can be found in historical manuscripts and records from the 14th and 15th centuries. These documents mention the Cheema clan as a prominent Jat community inhabiting the regions of Punjab and Haryana in northern India.

One notable historical reference to the Cheema name is found in the Ain-i-Akbari, a 16th-century administrative document commissioned by the Mughal Emperor Akbar. This text mentions the Cheema clan as a powerful and influential group in the areas surrounding the cities of Hansi and Hissar, which are now part of the Haryana state.

During the reign of the Mughal Empire, several individuals bearing the Cheema surname held significant positions and played important roles. One such figure was Raja Saida Cheema, a prominent Jat chieftain who lived in the late 16th century and is renowned for his resistance against the Mughal forces.

Another notable Cheema was Nawab Ghulam Mohammad Khan Cheema, a powerful landlord and military commander who lived in the 18th century. He was instrumental in establishing the Cheema dynasty, which ruled over parts of present-day Punjab and Haryana.

In the 19th century, Sardar Bahadur Sir Chhotu Ram Cheema was a prominent figure in the Indian independence movement. Born in 1881, he was a respected politician, social reformer, and advocate for the rights of the peasant community in Punjab.

Additionally, the Cheema surname has been associated with several notable individuals in the field of literature and academia. One such figure was Professor Naranjan Singh Cheema, a renowned Punjabi writer and scholar who lived from 1915 to 1986 and made significant contributions to Punjabi literature and language studies.

Despite being rooted in the Indian subcontinent, the Cheema surname has now spread across various parts of the world due to migration and diaspora communities. However, its origins and historical significance remain closely tied to the regions of Punjab and Haryana in northern India.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Cheema

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Cheema.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Cheema was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Cheema has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Cheema was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Cheema, please contact us.

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