2010
#150,452
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Chestine
A locational surname derived from a place name associated with a chestnut tree.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 117 Americans carry the last name Chestine. That puts it at #154,755 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,929,524 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Chestine 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
117
1 in 2,929,524
Census rank
#154,755
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
102
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 102 bearers of the surname Chestine in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154755th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Chestine, the largest self-reported group is White at 56.9%. The next largest groups are Black (33.3%) and Two or More Races (5.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Chestine
The surname Chestine is believed to have originated in France during the Middle Ages. It is thought to be derived from the Old French word "chastine," which referred to a chestnut tree or the nut itself. This suggests that the name may have initially been a descriptive surname given to someone who lived near a chestnut grove or had some association with chestnuts.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Chestine can be found in the Cartulaire de l'Abbaye de Saint-Père de Chartres, a medieval manuscript from the 12th century, which includes references to individuals with the surname in the Chartres region of northern France.
During the 13th century, a notable figure named Jean Chestine was a merchant and landowner in the town of Amiens in northern France. Records from this period also show the name spelled as "Chastine" and "Chastigne," reflecting the variations in spelling that were common in those times.
In the 14th century, the surname Chestine appears in records from the Île-de-France region, particularly in the vicinity of Paris. One individual of note was Pierre Chestine, a wealthy landowner and vintner who lived in the village of Suresnes near Paris in the late 1300s.
As the name spread across France, it took on various regional spellings and variations, such as "Chastain," "Chastine," and "Chastene." In the 16th century, a prominent figure named Jacques Chestine was a renowned architect and master builder who contributed to the construction of several notable buildings in the city of Lyon.
Another notable individual with the surname Chestine was Nicolas Chestine, a French philosopher and theologian who lived in the 17th century. He was born in Rouen in 1624 and was widely respected for his scholarly works on theology and metaphysics.
While the surname Chestine is not among the most common in France, it has a long and rich history dating back to the Middle Ages, with its origins rooted in the Old French language and possibly linked to the chestnut tree or nut.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Chestine
Among Census respondents with the surname Chestine, the largest self-reported group is White at 56.9%. The next largest groups are Black (33.3%) and Two or More Races (5.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Chestine 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 Chestine surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White56.9% · 58
- Black or African American33.3% · 34
- Two or more races5.9% · 6
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Chestine
Chestine 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
#154,755
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
-7 bearers (-6.4%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 4,303 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #150,452 | 109 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #154,755 | 102 | 0.03 | -7 bearers (-6.4%) | Down 4,303 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 Chestine 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 | #150,452 | #154,755 | -2.9% |
| Count | 109 | 102 | -6.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -14.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Chestine bearers went from 109 to 102 (-6.4% change). The surname moved down 4,303 positions in the national ranking, going from #150,452 to #154,755.
FAQ
Chestine surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Chestine?
Name Census estimates that about 117 living Americans carry the surname Chestine. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,929,524 residents.
How common is Chestine?
Chestine ranks #154,755 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 102 people with the surname Chestine. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (117), 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 Chestine.
Has Chestine become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Chestine went from 109 recorded bearers to 102. That is a decrease of 7 (-6.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #150,452 to #154,755.
What does the Census say about the background of Chestine?
Among Census respondents with the surname Chestine, the largest self-reported group is White at 56.9%. The next largest groups are Black (33.3%) and Two or More Races (5.9%). 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 Chestine in the 2020 Census, accounting for 56.9% (58 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Chestine appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (56.9%), Black (33.3%), Two or More Races (5.9%). 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 Chestine (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 Chestine mean?
A locational surname derived from a place name associated with a chestnut tree. 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 Chestine (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 are called Chestine?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans have the surname Chestine on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.