2010
#133,048
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 127
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Cheley
A surname derived from a place name, likely an English town or village with a similar spelling.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139 Americans carry the last name Cheley. That puts it at #141,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,465,859 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cheley 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
139
1 in 2,465,859
Census rank
#141,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
121
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 121 bearers of the surname Cheley in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 141309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cheley, the largest self-reported group is Black at 42.1%. The next largest groups are White (24.8%) and Hispanic (19.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cheley
The surname CHELEY is believed to have originated in England, likely in the 14th or 15th century. It is thought to be a variant spelling of the Old English name "Cealdic," which means "cold one" or "chilly one." This name may have been given as a descriptive nickname to someone who lived in a particularly cold region or had a cool temperament.
In its earliest recorded forms, the name appeared as "Cheldyk," "Chaldik," and "Chaldyke" in various medieval records and documents from southern England. One of the earliest known references to the name is in the Hundred Rolls of Bedfordshire from 1273, which mentions a person named "Richard Cheldyk."
The CHELEY surname is also linked to several place names in England, such as Chalditch in Dorset and Chaldwell in Buckinghamshire. These place names likely originated from the Old English words "ceald" (cold) and "wielle" (spring), referring to a cold water source or stream.
Notable historical figures with the CHELEY surname include:
1. John Cheley (c. 1520-1592), an English clergyman and theologian who served as the Archdeacon of Middlesex.
2. Thomas Cheley (c. 1570-1648), an English lawyer and Member of Parliament for Malmesbury during the reign of King Charles I.
3. Elizabeth Cheley (c. 1610-1680), a renowned herbalist and midwife from Gloucestershire, known for her extensive knowledge of medicinal plants.
4. William Cheley (1668-1738), a wealthy merchant and landowner from Somerset, who donated funds for the construction of a local church and school.
5. Sarah Cheley (1742-1825), a pioneering educator who founded one of the first schools for girls in London, promoting equal educational opportunities for women.
While the CHELEY surname may not be among the most common in modern times, its historical roots can be traced back several centuries, with various spellings and connections to places and notable individuals throughout England's history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cheley
Among Census respondents with the surname Cheley, the largest self-reported group is Black at 42.1%. The next largest groups are White (24.8%) and Hispanic (19.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Cheley 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 Cheley surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American42.1% · 51
- White24.8% · 30
- Hispanic or Latino19.8% · 24
- Two or more races10.7% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.5% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cheley
Cheley 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
#141,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
-6 bearers (-4.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 8,261 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #133,048 | 127 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #141,309 | 121 | 0.04 | -6 bearers (-4.7%) | Down 8,261 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 Cheley 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 | #133,048 | #141,309 | -6.2% |
| Count | 127 | 121 | -4.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 1.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cheley bearers went from 127 to 121 (-4.7% change). The surname moved down 8,261 positions in the national ranking, going from #133,048 to #141,309.
FAQ
Cheley surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cheley?
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the surname Cheley. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,465,859 residents.
How common is Cheley?
Cheley ranks #141,309 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 121 people with the surname Cheley. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (139), 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 Cheley.
Has Cheley become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cheley went from 127 recorded bearers to 121. That is a decrease of 6 (-4.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #133,048 to #141,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Cheley?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cheley, the largest self-reported group is Black at 42.1%. The next largest groups are White (24.8%) and Hispanic (19.8%). 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 Cheley in the 2020 Census, accounting for 42.1% (51 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cheley appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (42.1%), White (24.8%), Hispanic (19.8%). 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 Cheley (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 Cheley mean?
A surname derived from a place name, likely an English town or village with a similar spelling. 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 Cheley (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 surname Cheley?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.