2010
#147,253
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Cheffen
A surname derived from the German word "schöffe," meaning a judicial officer or magistrate.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 125 Americans carry the last name Cheffen. That puts it at #150,205 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,742,035 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cheffen 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
125
1 in 2,742,035
Census rank
#150,205
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
109
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 109 bearers of the surname Cheffen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150205th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cheffen, the largest self-reported group is Black at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cheffen
The surname CHEFFEN is of English origin, first appearing in records during the late 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "cæfan," meaning "to seize" or "to take," suggesting that the name may have originally referred to a tax collector or a court official responsible for seizing goods or property.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the parish records of St. Mary's Church in Ipswich, Suffolk, where a certain John Cheffen was mentioned in 1592. It is possible that the name was initially concentrated in the East Anglian region of England, particularly in the counties of Suffolk and Norfolk.
In the 17th century, the name appears to have spread to other parts of England, with records showing Cheffens residing in Berkshire, Gloucestershire, and Oxfordshire. One noteworthy individual from this period was Richard Cheffen (1629-1698), a yeoman farmer from the village of Steeple Aston in Oxfordshire.
By the 18th century, the CHEFFEN name had become more widespread across England, with several variations in spelling emerging, such as Cheffen, Cheffin, and Cheffyn. In 1724, a document from the town of Diss in Norfolk mentioned a William Cheffyn, who was likely a local landowner or prominent citizen.
During the 19th century, the CHEFFEN surname continued to be found in various parts of England, with some notable individuals bearing the name. These include John Cheffen (1802-1875), a wealthy merchant from London, and Samuel Cheffen (1832-1912), a renowned architect who designed several churches and public buildings in the Midlands region.
Other historical figures with the CHEFFEN surname include:
1. Thomas Cheffen (1772-1845), a British naval officer who served during the Napoleonic Wars.
2. Mary Cheffen (1815-1892), a philanthropist and social reformer from Manchester.
3. James Cheffen (1861-1938), a politician who served as a Member of Parliament for the borough of Cheltenham.
4. William Cheffen (1872-1945), a renowned painter and artist whose works were exhibited at the Royal Academy.
5. Edith Cheffen (1893-1968), a celebrated novelist and author of several best-selling books in the early 20th century.
While the CHEFFEN name has its roots in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world through emigration and migration, with descendants of the original English Cheffens now found in various countries and regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cheffen
Among Census respondents with the surname Cheffen, the largest self-reported group is Black at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Cheffen 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 Cheffen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American92.7% · 101
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 4
- Two or more races2.8% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cheffen
Cheffen appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#150,205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
-3 bearers (-2.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 2,952 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #147,253 | 112 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #150,205 | 109 | 0.04 | -3 bearers (-2.7%) | Down 2,952 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 Cheffen 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 | #147,253 | #150,205 | -2.0% |
| Count | 112 | 109 | -2.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cheffen bearers went from 112 to 109 (-2.7% change). The surname moved down 2,952 positions in the national ranking, going from #147,253 to #150,205.
FAQ
Cheffen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cheffen?
Name Census estimates that about 125 living Americans carry the surname Cheffen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,742,035 residents.
How common is Cheffen?
Cheffen ranks #150,205 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 109 people with the surname Cheffen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (125), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Cheffen.
Has Cheffen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cheffen went from 112 recorded bearers to 109. That is a decrease of 3 (-2.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #147,253 to #150,205.
What does the Census say about the background of Cheffen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cheffen, the largest self-reported group is Black at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.7%) and Two or More Races (2.8%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Cheffen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.7% (101 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cheffen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (92.7%), Hispanic (3.7%), Two or More Races (2.8%). 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 Cheffen (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 Cheffen mean?
A surname derived from the German word "schöffe," meaning a judicial officer or magistrate. 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 Cheffen (0.04 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 Cheffen?
Find out how many people have the last name Cheffen on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.