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

Chester, 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 Chester surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Chester in America

Chester is the 2408th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Chester surname appeared 15,066 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 5 people would have the surname Chester.

We can also compare 2010 data for Chester 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 Chester

The surname Chester originated in England during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English word "ceastre," which means "Roman camp or town." The name is believed to have first emerged in areas where Roman settlements were established, primarily in the northwestern regions of England.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Chester can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of landowners and their properties commissioned by William the Conqueror. In this record, several individuals with the surname Chester were listed as landowners in various counties of England.

The surname Chester is also closely associated with the city of Chester, located in the county of Cheshire. The city's name derives from the Latin word "castra," meaning "camp," and it was an important Roman fortress and settlement during the Roman occupation of Britain. It is likely that some individuals who lived in or near the city adopted the surname Chester as a way to identify themselves with their place of origin.

One of the earliest known bearers of the surname Chester was Ranulph de Blundeville, Earl of Chester, who lived from 1170 to 1232. He was a prominent figure during the reign of King John and played a significant role in the negotiations that led to the signing of the Magna Carta in 1215.

Another notable individual with the surname Chester was Sir John Chester, a 14th-century English knight and landowner who served as a Member of Parliament for Gloucestershire in 1351 and 1353.

In the 16th century, the Chester family of Chicheley, Buckinghamshire, produced several notable individuals, including Sir John Chester (1485-1556), a Member of Parliament and Lord of the Manor of Chicheley, and his son, Sir Thomas Chester (1520-1594), who also served as a Member of Parliament.

The surname Chester has also been associated with other place names in England, such as Chesterfield in Derbyshire, which derives from the Old English words "ceastre" and "feld," meaning "Roman camp in an open field."

Throughout history, the surname Chester has been borne by individuals from various walks of life, including clergy, nobles, landowners, and military personnel, reflecting its enduring presence in English society over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Chester

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!