2000
#2,563
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,970
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.81
Uncommon Last name
Cheney
From the Old French chesne, chesnai, or chesnaye, referring to an oak tree or a grove of oak trees.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 15,005 Americans carry the last name Cheney. That puts it at #2,689 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.38 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 22,843 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cheney 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 Cheney with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
15K
1 in 22,843
Census rank
#2,689
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
13K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 13,085 bearers of the surname Cheney in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.38 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2689th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cheney, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cheney
The surname Cheney has its origins in England and dates back to the 11th century. It is derived from the Old English word "cæne," meaning bold or brave, and the suffix "-eg," signifying an enclosed area or island. The name was likely given to someone who lived in a small, courageous community or on a fortified island.
The earliest recorded instance of the surname Cheney appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is spelled "Cheni." This historical manuscript, commissioned by William the Conqueror, documented landholders and their properties across England.
During the Middle Ages, the name was often spelled various ways, including Cheny, Cheneye, and Cheyne. Some notable individuals bearing this surname from this period include Sir John Cheney (c. 1310-1374), a distinguished English soldier and diplomat, and Sir Thomas Cheney (c. 1485-1558), a statesman and Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports under King Henry VIII.
In the 16th century, the surname was associated with several prominent figures, such as Sir Henry Cheney (c. 1550-1587), an English soldier and Member of Parliament, and Sir John Cheney (c. 1530-1589), a naval commander and explorer who served under Sir Francis Drake.
As the name spread across England, it became linked with various place names, including Cheney Court in Wiltshire and Cheney Longville in Shropshire. The latter was once the ancestral home of the Cheney family.
In the 17th century, Richard Cheney (1609-1692) was a notable English clergyman and academic who served as the Bishop of Gloucester and later the Bishop of Chichester. Another significant figure was John Cheney (c. 1650-1715), a wealthy London merchant and philanthropist who funded the construction of several churches in the city.
As the surname traveled beyond England's borders, it gained a foothold in other parts of the world, including the United States. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in America was Benjamin Cheney (1706-1798), a prominent colonist and early settler of New Hampshire.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cheney
Among Census respondents with the surname Cheney, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Cheney 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 Cheney surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.4% · 11,442
- Two or more races3.7% · 486
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 458
- Black or African American3.2% · 424
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.3% · 173
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 102
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cheney
Cheney 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
#2,655
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,573
+603 bearers (+4.6%)
Per 100,000 4.60
Rank movement Down 92 places
2020
#2,689
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,085
-488 bearers (-3.6%)
Per 100,000 4.38
Rank movement Down 34 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,563 | 12,970 | 4.81 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,655 | 13,573 | 4.60 | +603 bearers (+4.6%) | Down 92 places |
| 2020 | #2,689 | 13,085 | 4.38 | -488 bearers (-3.6%) | Down 34 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 Cheney 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 | #2,655 | #2,689 | -1.3% |
| Count | 13,573 | 13,085 | -3.6% |
| Per 100K | 4.60 | 4.38 | -4.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cheney bearers went from 13,573 to 13,085 (-3.6% change). The surname moved down 34 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,655 to #2,689.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Cheney
FAQ
Cheney surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cheney?
Name Census estimates that about 15,005 living Americans carry the surname Cheney. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 22,843 residents.
How common is Cheney?
Cheney ranks #2,689 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.38 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 13,085 people with the surname Cheney. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (15,005), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.38 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.38 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Cheney.
Has Cheney become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cheney went from 13,573 recorded bearers to 13,085. That is a decrease of 488 (-3.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,655 to #2,689.
What does the Census say about the background of Cheney?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cheney, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (3.5%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Cheney in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.4% (11,442 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cheney appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.4%), Two or More Races (3.7%), Hispanic (3.5%). 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 Cheney (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 Cheney mean?
From the Old French chesne, chesnai, or chesnaye, referring to an oak tree or a grove of oak trees. 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 Cheney (4.38 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 Cheney?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.