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

Chávez, 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 Chávez surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Chávez in America

Chávez is the 15625th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Chávez surname appeared 1,870 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Chávez.

We can also compare 2010 data for Chávez 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 Chávez

The surname Chevez has its origins in Spain, tracing back to the early medieval period. It is derived from the Spanish word "chivo," meaning goat, and likely originated as a descriptive surname for someone who worked with or raised goats. The earliest known spelling variation was "Chivez."

During the 12th century, the name appeared in various historical records, including the Cartulario de Eslonza, a compilation of documents from the Monastery of San Pedro de Eslonza in the Kingdom of León. This suggests that the name was present in the regions of northern Spain during that time.

One of the earliest recorded bearers of the name was Juan Chivez, a farmer from the village of Villafranca del Bierzo in the province of León, who lived in the late 13th century. Another notable individual was Pedro Chevez, a merchant from Seville who was mentioned in the city's trade records in the early 15th century.

As the Spanish Empire expanded across the Americas in the 16th and 17th centuries, the Chevez surname spread to various territories, including Mexico and parts of South America. One prominent figure was Diego Chevez de Alvarado, a Spanish conquistador who participated in the conquest of Guatemala in the 1520s and later served as a colonial administrator.

In the 18th century, the surname appears to have undergone a slight variation, with some records indicating the spelling "Chávez." This spelling became more common in later centuries. One notable bearer of this spelling was José María Chávez, a Mexican military officer and politician who served as the Governor of Chihuahua in the late 19th century (1885-1892).

Another individual of historical significance was Mariano Chávez, a New Mexican military leader and politician who played a crucial role in the resistance against the Texas-Santa Fe Expedition in 1841. He later served as the Governor of the Santa Fe de Nuevo México territory from 1833 to 1835.

Despite its Spanish origins, the Chevez surname can also be found in other parts of the world due to migration and cultural exchange over the centuries. For example, there are records of individuals with this surname in parts of the Philippines, reflecting the Spanish colonial influence in the region.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Chávez

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

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

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

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