2000
#17,899
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,441
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.53
Rare Last name
Cheema
A Jat clan name found primarily in the Punjab regions of India and Pakistan.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,275 Americans carry the last name Cheema. That puts it at #8,497 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.25 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 80,176 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cheema 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 Cheema with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.3K
1 in 80,176
Census rank
#8,497
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,728 bearers of the surname Cheema in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.25 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8497th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cheema, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and White (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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One notable historical reference to the Cheema name is found in the Ain-i-Akbari, a 16th-century administrative document commissioned by the Mughal Emperor Akbar.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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cheema
Among Census respondents with the surname Cheema, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and White (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Cheema 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 Cheema surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander92.4% · 3,443
- Two or more races3.0% · 111
- White2.7% · 102
- Hispanic or Latino1.0% · 38
- Black or African American0.6% · 24
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cheema
Cheema 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
#12,312
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,525
+1,084 bearers (+75.2%)
Per 100,000 0.86
Rank movement Up 5,587 places
2020
#8,497
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,728
+1,203 bearers (+47.6%)
Per 100,000 1.25
Rank movement Up 3,815 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #17,899 | 1,441 | 0.53 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,312 | 2,525 | 0.86 | +1,084 bearers (+75.2%) | Up 5,587 places |
| 2020 | #8,497 | 3,728 | 1.25 | +1,203 bearers (+47.6%) | Up 3,815 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 Cheema 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 | #12,312 | #8,497 | 31.0% |
| Count | 2,525 | 3,728 | 47.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.86 | 1.25 | 45.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cheema bearers went from 2,525 to 3,728 (+47.6% change). The surname moved up 3,815 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,312 to #8,497.
FAQ
Cheema surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cheema?
Name Census estimates that about 4,275 living Americans carry the surname Cheema. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 80,176 residents.
How common is Cheema?
Cheema ranks #8,497 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.25 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 3,728 people with the surname Cheema. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,275), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.25 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.25 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 Cheema.
Has Cheema become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cheema went from 2,525 recorded bearers to 3,728. That is an increase of 1,203 (+47.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #12,312 to #8,497.
What does the Census say about the background of Cheema?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cheema, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and White (2.7%). 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 Cheema in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.4% (3,443 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cheema appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (92.4%), Two or More Races (3.0%), White (2.7%). 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 Cheema (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 Cheema mean?
A Jat clan name found primarily in the Punjab regions of India and Pakistan. 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 Cheema (1.25 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 common is the surname Cheema?
If you just want to know how common the surname Cheema is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.