2000
#2,281
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 14,595
First available Census row
Per 100,000 5.41
Uncommon Last name
Chester
An English placename surname derived from a city in Cheshire, England, or any of several other English towns.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 15,823 Americans carry the last name Chester. That puts it at #2,555 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.62 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 21,662 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Chester 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Chester with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
16K
1 in 21,662
Census rank
#2,555
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
14K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 13,798 bearers of the surname Chester in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.62 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2555th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Chester, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.4%. The next largest groups are Black (27.2%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Chester
Among Census respondents with the surname Chester, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.4%. The next largest groups are Black (27.2%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Chester 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 Chester surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White63.4% · 8,747
- Black or African American27.2% · 3,758
- Two or more races4.2% · 574
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 426
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.3% · 177
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 116
Timeline
Historical Census data for Chester
Chester 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
#2,408
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 15,066
+471 bearers (+3.2%)
Per 100,000 5.11
Rank movement Down 127 places
2020
#2,555
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,798
-1,268 bearers (-8.4%)
Per 100,000 4.62
Rank movement Down 147 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,281 | 14,595 | 5.41 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,408 | 15,066 | 5.11 | +471 bearers (+3.2%) | Down 127 places |
| 2020 | #2,555 | 13,798 | 4.62 | -1,268 bearers (-8.4%) | Down 147 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 Chester 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 | #2,408 | #2,555 | -6.1% |
| Count | 15,066 | 13,798 | -8.4% |
| Per 100K | 5.11 | 4.62 | -9.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Chester bearers went from 15,066 to 13,798 (-8.4% change). The surname moved down 147 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,408 to #2,555.
FAQ
Chester surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Chester?
Name Census estimates that about 15,823 living Americans carry the surname Chester. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 21,662 residents.
How common is Chester?
Chester ranks #2,555 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.62 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 13,798 people with the surname Chester. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (15,823), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.62 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.62 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Chester.
Has Chester become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Chester went from 15,066 recorded bearers to 13,798. That is a decrease of 1,268 (-8.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,408 to #2,555.
What does the Census say about the background of Chester?
Among Census respondents with the surname Chester, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.4%. The next largest groups are Black (27.2%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Chester in the 2020 Census, accounting for 63.4% (8,747 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Chester appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (63.4%), Black (27.2%), Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Chester (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 Chester mean?
An English placename surname derived from a city in Cheshire, England, or any of several other English towns. 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 Chester (4.62 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 Chester?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.