2000
#6,638
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,699
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.74
Rare Last name
Chenoweth
A habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "new dwelling" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,908 Americans carry the last name Chenoweth. That puts it at #7,500 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.43 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 69,836 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Chenoweth 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 Chenoweth with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.9K
1 in 69,836
Census rank
#7,500
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,280 bearers of the surname Chenoweth in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.43 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7500th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Chenoweth, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Chenoweth
The surname Chenoweth is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Old English words "cyne" meaning royal or kingly, and "wath" meaning a path or road, suggesting it may have referred to a royal road or path.
One of the earliest known records of the name dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Chenewath" in reference to a landowner in Warwickshire. This indicates that the name was already established in parts of England by the late 11th century.
In the 13th century, variations of the name such as "Chenewode" and "Chenewith" can be found in various historical documents from counties like Worcestershire and Gloucestershire. These spellings likely reflect the local dialects and pronunciations at the time.
A notable early bearer of the name was Sir John Chenoweth, a knight who fought in the Battle of Agincourt in 1415 during the Hundred Years' War. He was born in Worcestershire around 1380 and served under King Henry V.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the name appeared to have spread to other parts of England, with records showing Chenoweths residing in counties like Somerset, Devon, and Cornwall. One notable figure from this period was Edward Chenoweth, a merchant and member of the East India Company, who was born in Bristol in 1620.
In the 18th century, the name gained further prominence with individuals like Arthur Chenoweth, a renowned architect born in London in 1712, who designed several notable buildings in the city. Another notable figure was Mary Chenoweth, a writer and activist born in Dorset in 1765, who championed women's rights and education.
As the Chenoweth family dispersed across England and beyond, the name underwent various spelling variations such as Chenowith, Chenworth, and Chinnworth. Despite these variations, the name has maintained its distinct identity and can be traced back to its medieval English origins.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Chenoweth
Among Census respondents with the surname Chenoweth, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Chenoweth 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 Chenoweth surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.6% · 3,837
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 170
- Two or more races3.7% · 158
- Black or African American1.2% · 52
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 34
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 29
Timeline
Historical Census data for Chenoweth
Chenoweth 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
#7,160
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,673
-26 bearers (-0.6%)
Per 100,000 1.58
Rank movement Down 522 places
2020
#7,500
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,280
-393 bearers (-8.4%)
Per 100,000 1.43
Rank movement Down 340 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,638 | 4,699 | 1.74 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,160 | 4,673 | 1.58 | -26 bearers (-0.6%) | Down 522 places |
| 2020 | #7,500 | 4,280 | 1.43 | -393 bearers (-8.4%) | Down 340 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 Chenoweth 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 | #7,160 | #7,500 | -4.7% |
| Count | 4,673 | 4,280 | -8.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.58 | 1.43 | -9.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Chenoweth bearers went from 4,673 to 4,280 (-8.4% change). The surname moved down 340 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,160 to #7,500.
FAQ
Chenoweth surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Chenoweth?
Name Census estimates that about 4,908 living Americans carry the surname Chenoweth. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 69,836 residents.
How common is Chenoweth?
Chenoweth ranks #7,500 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.43 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 4,280 people with the surname Chenoweth. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,908), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.43 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.43 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 Chenoweth.
Has Chenoweth become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Chenoweth went from 4,673 recorded bearers to 4,280. That is a decrease of 393 (-8.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,160 to #7,500.
What does the Census say about the background of Chenoweth?
Among Census respondents with the surname Chenoweth, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (3.7%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Chenoweth in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.6% (3,837 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Chenoweth appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.6%), Hispanic (4.0%), Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Chenoweth (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 Chenoweth mean?
A habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "new dwelling" in Old English. 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 Chenoweth (1.43 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 Chenoweth?
Want to know how many people are called Chenoweth? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.