2000
#125,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 126
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Chernock
A Slavic surname derived from a word meaning "blacksmith" or "charcoal burner".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 134 Americans carry the last name Chernock. That puts it at #144,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,557,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Chernock 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
134
1 in 2,557,868
Census rank
#144,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
117
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 117 bearers of the surname Chernock in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 144270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Chernock, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.8%) and Two or More Races (6.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Chernock
The surname CHERNOCK is of English origin, and it is believed to have emerged in the 13th or 14th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old English words "cerne" and "hoc," which together mean "the hill or slope where the quern (a primitive hand-mill) stood."
This surname is primarily associated with the county of Worcestershire in the West Midlands region of England. Some of the earliest recorded instances of this surname can be found in the tax rolls of Worcestershire dating back to the late 13th and early 14th centuries.
One noteworthy historical reference to the surname CHERNOCK can be found in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Chaddesley Corbett in Worcestershire, which date back to the 14th century. These rolls mention individuals with the surname CHERNOCK, suggesting that the name was well-established in the local community at that time.
The earliest recorded bearer of this surname is believed to be John CHERNOCK, who was mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327. Another early reference is to William CHERNOCK, who was recorded in the Poll Tax Returns for Chaddesley Corbett in 1381.
One notable individual with this surname was Sir Robert CHERNOCK, a prominent landowner and military commander who lived in the late 15th and early 16th centuries. He fought alongside Henry VII at the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485 and was later appointed as the High Sheriff of Worcestershire.
During the English Civil War in the 17th century, a certain Thomas CHERNOCK was a staunch Royalist and served as a captain in the King's army. He was involved in several battles and was eventually taken prisoner by the Parliamentarian forces.
In the 18th century, a man named John CHERNOCK gained recognition as a skilled clockmaker and watchmaker in the town of Kidderminster, Worcestershire. His intricate timepieces were highly sought after by the local gentry and aristocracy.
Another individual of note was Elizabeth CHERNOCK, born in 1792, who was a renowned botanist and naturalist. She was one of the first women to be elected as a member of the Linnean Society of London, a prestigious organization dedicated to the study of natural history.
It is worth noting that the surname CHERNOCK has also been spelled in various ways throughout history, such as CHERNOK, CHARNOCK, and CHURNOCK, likely due to regional variations in pronunciation and spelling conventions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Chernock
Among Census respondents with the surname Chernock, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.8%) and Two or More Races (6.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Chernock 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 Chernock surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White85.5% · 100
- Hispanic or Latino6.8% · 8
- Two or more races6.8% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Chernock
Chernock 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
#127,494
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 134
+8 bearers (+6.3%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 1,855 places
2020
#144,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
-17 bearers (-12.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 16,776 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #125,639 | 126 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #127,494 | 134 | 0.05 | +8 bearers (+6.3%) | Down 1,855 places |
| 2020 | #144,270 | 117 | 0.04 | -17 bearers (-12.7%) | Down 16,776 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 Chernock 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 | #127,494 | #144,270 | -13.2% |
| Count | 134 | 117 | -12.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -21.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Chernock bearers went from 134 to 117 (-12.7% change). The surname moved down 16,776 positions in the national ranking, going from #127,494 to #144,270.
FAQ
Chernock surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Chernock?
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the surname Chernock. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,557,868 residents.
How common is Chernock?
Chernock ranks #144,270 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 117 people with the surname Chernock. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (134), 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 Chernock.
Has Chernock become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Chernock went from 134 recorded bearers to 117. That is a decrease of 17 (-12.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #127,494 to #144,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Chernock?
Among Census respondents with the surname Chernock, the largest self-reported group is White at 85.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.8%) and Two or More Races (6.8%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Chernock in the 2020 Census, accounting for 85.5% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Chernock appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (85.5%), Hispanic (6.8%), Two or More Races (6.8%). 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 Chernock (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 Chernock mean?
A Slavic surname derived from a word meaning "blacksmith" or "charcoal burner". 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 Chernock (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 are called Chernock?
For a quick modern take, check how common the surname Chernock is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.