2000
#148,244
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Chesters
A locational surname derived from someone who lived near a Roman camp or town.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 130 Americans carry the last name Chesters. That puts it at #147,221 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,636,572 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Chesters 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 Chesters with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
130
1 in 2,636,572
Census rank
#147,221
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
113
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 113 bearers of the surname Chesters in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147221st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Chesters, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.2%) and Black (2.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Chesters
The surname Chesters is believed to have originated in England, with its roots traced back to the medieval period. It is thought to be a locational name, derived from the Old English word "ceastre," which means "a Roman town or walled city." This suggests that the earliest bearers of this surname may have resided in or near a town with Roman origins.
One possible source of the name Chesters is the village of Chesters in Northumberland, located near the remains of the Romanfort of Cilurnum on Hadrian's Wall. This settlement was mentioned in the Boldon Book, a survey of land ownership in the region, compiled in 1183.
The earliest recorded instance of the surname Chesters can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Bedfordshire from 1273, which lists a Richard de Chesters. Another early reference appears in the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire from 1297, mentioning a William de Chestres.
In the 14th century, the name appears in various records, such as the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1342, which includes a John de Chestres, and the Poll Tax Returns of Yorkshire from 1379, listing a John Chestres.
Notably, in the 16th century, a prominent figure bearing this surname was Thomas Chesters (c. 1490-1558), an English ecclesiastic who served as the Abbot of Peterborough from 1537 until the monastery's dissolution in 1539.
Another individual of note was John Chesters (1656-1724), a British architect and surveyor who worked on various projects, including the rebuilding of St. Paul's Cathedral in London after the Great Fire of 1666.
In the 18th century, William Chesters (1726-1806) was a prominent English portraitist and landscape painter, known for his works depicting the English countryside and rural life.
Moving into the 19th century, Charles Chesters (1810-1884) was a British architect who designed several notable buildings, including the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, London.
Lastly, in the early 20th century, George Chesters (1882-1942) was a British politician and member of Parliament, representing the Labour Party in the House of Commons from 1923 to 1931.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Chesters
Among Census respondents with the surname Chesters, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.2%) and Black (2.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Chesters 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 Chesters surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.5% · 100
- Two or more races6.2% · 7
- Black or African American2.7% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Chesters
Chesters 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
#157,234
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
+1 bearers (+1.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 8,990 places
2020
#147,221
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
+10 bearers (+9.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 10,013 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #148,244 | 102 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #157,234 | 103 | 0.03 | +1 bearers (+1.0%) | Down 8,990 places |
| 2020 | #147,221 | 113 | 0.04 | +10 bearers (+9.7%) | Up 10,013 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 Chesters 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 | #157,234 | #147,221 | 6.4% |
| Count | 103 | 113 | 9.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.04 | 26.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Chesters bearers went from 103 to 113 (+9.7% change). The surname moved up 10,013 positions in the national ranking, going from #157,234 to #147,221.
FAQ
Chesters surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Chesters?
Name Census estimates that about 130 living Americans carry the surname Chesters. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,636,572 residents.
How common is Chesters?
Chesters ranks #147,221 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 113 people with the surname Chesters. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (130), 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 Chesters.
Has Chesters become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Chesters went from 103 recorded bearers to 113. That is an increase of 10 (+9.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #157,234 to #147,221.
What does the Census say about the background of Chesters?
Among Census respondents with the surname Chesters, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.2%) and Black (2.7%). 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 Chesters in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.5% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Chesters appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.5%), Two or More Races (6.2%), Black (2.7%). 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 Chesters (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 Chesters mean?
A locational surname derived from someone who lived near a Roman camp or town. 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 Chesters (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 have the last name Chesters?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Chesters on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.