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

Chesney, 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 Chesney surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Chesney in America

Chesney is the 7413th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Chesney surname appeared 4,491 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Chesney.

We can also compare 2010 data for Chesney 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 Chesney

The surname Chesney originated in England, specifically in the region of Cheshire. It dates back to the 13th century and is derived from the Old English words "cēse" meaning cheese and "ey" meaning island or region. The name likely referred to a person who lived in or came from an area known for cheese-making.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Cheshire from 1260, which mention a Robert de Cheseney. In the Hundred Rolls of 1273, there is a reference to a Richard de Cheyseney. These early spellings highlight the variations that existed in the spelling of the name.

During the Middle Ages, the Chesney family held lands in Cheshire and neighboring counties. The name is mentioned in the Domesday Book, a record of landowners compiled in 1086 under the order of William the Conqueror. This suggests that the family had established itself in the region before the Norman Conquest.

In the 14th century, a notable figure was Sir John de Chesney, who served as the High Sheriff of Cheshire in 1362. Another prominent individual was Sir Robert Chesney, who fought alongside Edward the Black Prince during the Hundred Years' War and was knighted for his valor at the Battle of Poitiers in 1356.

The Chesney family continued to play an influential role in the region throughout the centuries. Sir William Chesney (1573-1636) was a Member of Parliament for Cheshire during the reign of Charles I. In the 18th century, Francis Rawdon-Chesney (1789-1872) was a British Army officer who served in the Napoleonic Wars and later became a Field Marshal.

Other notable individuals with the surname Chesney include the English novelist and poet Charles Cornwallis Chesney (1826-1876), known for his works set in the British Raj in India, and the American Civil War general Evan Thomas Chesney (1819-1884), who fought for the Union Army.

The Chesney surname has also been associated with various place names in Cheshire and neighboring counties, reflecting the family's historical ties to the region. Examples include Chesney Green, Chesney Hay, and Chesney Fields, among others.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Chesney

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

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

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

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