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

Cheon, 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 Cheon surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Cheon in America

Cheon is the 35016th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Cheon surname appeared 644 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 Cheon.

We can also compare 2010 data for Cheon 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 Cheon

The surname CHEON has its origins in Korea and can be traced back to the Three Kingdoms period (57 BC – 935 AD). It is derived from the Korean word "cheon", which means "heaven" or "sky". The name was initially adopted by families who lived in the mountainous regions of the Korean peninsula.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the CHEON surname can be found in the Samguk Sagi, a historical record of the Three Kingdoms period, which mentions a prominent figure named CHEON Baekje. He was a renowned scholar and advisor to the king of Baekje, one of the three kingdoms that ruled the Korean peninsula during that time.

During the Goryeo Dynasty (918–1392), the CHEON surname gained prominence among the aristocratic class. Several members of the CHEON family held significant positions in the royal court and contributed to the development of literature, arts, and governance.

In the Joseon Dynasty (1392–1897), the CHEON family continued to play an influential role in Korean society. One notable figure was CHEON Seok-jeong (1646–1715), a celebrated scholar and calligrapher who served as a royal tutor and produced numerous works on Confucian philosophy.

Another prominent individual with the CHEON surname was CHEON Yang-no (1784–1859), a renowned painter and scholar of the late Joseon Dynasty. His paintings, which depicted landscapes and daily life scenes, are highly regarded and can be found in various museums and collections around the world.

The CHEON surname can also be found in various historical records and manuscripts from the Korean peninsula, such as the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty and the Veritable Records of the Yi Dynasty. These documents provide valuable insights into the lives and contributions of individuals bearing this surname throughout the centuries.

It is worth noting that the CHEON surname has also been associated with several place names in Korea, such as Cheonseong, a city in South Chungcheong Province, and Cheongsando, an island located off the southwestern coast of the Korean peninsula.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Cheon

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

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

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

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