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

Chem, 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 Chem surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Chem in America

Chem is the 92719th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Chem surname appeared 198 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Chem.

We can also compare 2010 data for Chem 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 Chem

The surname CHEM originated in medieval England and is derived from the Old English word 'chem', meaning a quarry or pit. It is believed to have originated as a locational name for someone who lived near a quarry or worked in the quarrying industry.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname CHEM date back to the 13th century. One of the earliest recorded bearers of this name was Robert de la Chem, who was mentioned in the Assize Rolls of Staffordshire in 1272.

In the Domesday Book of 1086, a place called Chem is listed in Somerset, which may have been the origin of the surname. The name was also found in various other records from medieval times, such as the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire and the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire.

The CHEM surname is thought to have been initially concentrated in the counties of Staffordshire, Somerset, and Worcestershire, where quarrying was a significant industry during the Middle Ages.

One notable bearer of the CHEM surname was John Chem (c.1390-1460), a prominent English merchant and Member of Parliament for Bristol in the 15th century. Another was William Chem (c.1510-1582), a respected lawyer and landowner from Staffordshire.

In the 16th century, the CHEM surname appeared in various spellings, such as Cheme, Cheame, and Cheyme, reflecting the phonetic variations common in that era. Thomas Cheame (c.1525-1595) was a respected clergyman and author from Gloucestershire.

During the 17th century, the surname CHEM continued to be found in various parts of England, with bearers such as Richard Chem (1602-1670), a wealthy merchant from Bristol, and Elizabeth Chem (c.1630-1695), a landowner from Worcestershire.

Throughout its history, the CHEM surname has been relatively uncommon but has been borne by individuals from various backgrounds, including merchants, lawyers, clergymen, and landowners.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Chem

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

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 Chem 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 Chem 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 Chem was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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