2010
#148,347
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Chesin
A variant of the Russian surname Cheshin, possibly derived from the name of a village.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 116 Americans carry the last name Chesin. That puts it at #155,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,954,779 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Chesin 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
116
1 in 2,954,779
Census rank
#155,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
101
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 101 bearers of the surname Chesin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 155270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Chesin, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.0%) and Black (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Chesin
The surname Chesin has its origins in the Slavic regions of Eastern Europe, particularly in areas that are now part of modern-day Russia and Ukraine. It is believed to have emerged in the 15th or 16th century, derived from the Old Slavic word "chesa," which means "honor" or "respect."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Chesin can be found in a census record from the city of Smolensk, Russia, dating back to the late 16th century. The name was also mentioned in various church records and official documents from the region during that time period.
In the 17th and 18th centuries, the Chesin surname began to spread beyond its initial geographic origins as families migrated to other parts of the Russian Empire and neighboring areas. It became particularly prevalent in the regions of Novgorod and Pskov, where several prominent individuals bearing the name emerged.
One notable figure from this era was Ivan Chesin, a successful merchant and landowner who lived in the town of Veliky Novgorod in the late 17th century. Another individual of note was Andrei Chesin, a respected scholar and teacher who worked at the Academy of Sciences in St. Petersburg during the early 18th century.
In the 19th century, the Chesin surname gained further recognition with the birth of Mikhail Chesin (1808-1876), a renowned Russian writer and poet who was celebrated for his lyrical works and contributions to Russian literature. His contemporary, Nikolai Chesin (1815-1892), was a prominent military officer who served in the Imperial Russian Army and achieved the rank of general.
As the centuries progressed, the Chesin surname continued to spread throughout the Slavic regions, with pockets of families settling in various areas of modern-day Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, and other neighboring countries. Despite its widespread dispersal, the name has maintained its distinct Slavic roots and cultural associations.
While the spelling may have varied slightly in different regions, the core pronunciation and meaning of the name Chesin have remained largely unchanged over time, serving as a testament to the rich linguistic and cultural heritage of the Slavic peoples.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Chesin
Among Census respondents with the surname Chesin, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.0%) and Black (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Chesin 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 Chesin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.1% · 95
- Hispanic or Latino5.0% · 5
- Black or African American1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Chesin
Chesin appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#155,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 101
-10 bearers (-9.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 6,923 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #148,347 | 111 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #155,270 | 101 | 0.03 | -10 bearers (-9.0%) | Down 6,923 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 Chesin 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 | #148,347 | #155,270 | -4.7% |
| Count | 111 | 101 | -9.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -15.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Chesin bearers went from 111 to 101 (-9.0% change). The surname moved down 6,923 positions in the national ranking, going from #148,347 to #155,270.
FAQ
Chesin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Chesin?
Name Census estimates that about 116 living Americans carry the surname Chesin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,954,779 residents.
How common is Chesin?
Chesin ranks #155,270 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 101 people with the surname Chesin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (116), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Chesin.
Has Chesin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Chesin went from 111 recorded bearers to 101. That is a decrease of 10 (-9.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #148,347 to #155,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Chesin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Chesin, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.0%) and Black (1.0%). 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 Chesin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.1% (95 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Chesin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.1%), Hispanic (5.0%), Black (1.0%). 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 Chesin (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 Chesin mean?
A variant of the Russian surname Cheshin, possibly derived from the name of a village. 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 Chesin (0.03 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 share the surname Chesin?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.