2000
#8,861
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,399
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.26
Rare Last name
Chiasson
A French occupational surname derived from the Old French word "chausseur," meaning a maker or seller of shoes.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,761 Americans carry the last name Chiasson. That puts it at #9,482 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.10 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 91,134 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Chiasson 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
3.8K
1 in 91,134
Census rank
#9,482
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,280 bearers of the surname Chiasson in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.10 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9482nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Chiasson, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Chiasson
The surname Chiasson originated in France, particularly in the regions of Brittany and Normandy, during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old French word "chêne," meaning oak tree, and the diminutive suffix "-on," indicating a small or little one. Thus, Chiasson likely referred to someone who lived near a small oak grove or a small oak tree.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Chiasson can be found in the Livre des Bourgeois de Rouen, a registry of the citizens of Rouen, Normandy, dating back to the 14th century. The name appears as "Chenon," which was a common spelling variation at the time.
During the Norman conquest of England in the 11th century, many Norman families bearing the name Chiasson or its variants settled in various parts of the British Isles. This can be evidenced in the Domesday Book of 1086, where the name "Chenon" is listed among the landowners in several counties.
In the 16th century, a notable figure with the surname Chiasson was Jean Chiasson, a French explorer and navigator who accompanied Jacques Cartier on his voyages to the New World. Chiasson played a significant role in the exploration and mapping of the St. Lawrence River and the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
Another prominent individual with this surname was Marie-Anne Chiasson (1688-1754), a French-Canadian settler who was among the early founders of the Acadian community in present-day Nova Scotia, Canada. She is regarded as a matriarch of the Chiasson family in North America.
In the 18th century, Louis Chiasson (1723-1796), a French-Canadian farmer and landowner, was a notable figure in the Acadian settlement of Grand-Pré, Nova Scotia. His descendants went on to establish communities throughout the Maritime provinces of Canada.
During the 19th century, François Chiasson (1832-1911), a French-Canadian politician and businessman, served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Quebec and was actively involved in the development of the forestry industry in the region.
The surname Chiasson has also been associated with several place names, including Chiasson Ridge in Nova Scotia, Canada, and Chiasson Creek in British Columbia, Canada, both of which were likely named after early settlers or explorers bearing the surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Chiasson
Among Census respondents with the surname Chiasson, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Chiasson 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 Chiasson surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.5% · 3,035
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 111
- Two or more races2.5% · 83
- Black or African American0.8% · 26
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 21
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Chiasson
Chiasson 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
#9,301
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,499
+100 bearers (+2.9%)
Per 100,000 1.19
Rank movement Down 440 places
2020
#9,482
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,280
-219 bearers (-6.3%)
Per 100,000 1.10
Rank movement Down 181 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,861 | 3,399 | 1.26 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,301 | 3,499 | 1.19 | +100 bearers (+2.9%) | Down 440 places |
| 2020 | #9,482 | 3,280 | 1.10 | -219 bearers (-6.3%) | Down 181 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 Chiasson 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 | #9,301 | #9,482 | -1.9% |
| Count | 3,499 | 3,280 | -6.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.19 | 1.10 | -7.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Chiasson bearers went from 3,499 to 3,280 (-6.3% change). The surname moved down 181 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,301 to #9,482.
FAQ
Chiasson surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Chiasson?
Name Census estimates that about 3,761 living Americans carry the surname Chiasson. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 91,134 residents.
How common is Chiasson?
Chiasson ranks #9,482 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.10 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,280 people with the surname Chiasson. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,761), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.1 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.10 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Chiasson.
Has Chiasson become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Chiasson went from 3,499 recorded bearers to 3,280. That is a decrease of 219 (-6.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,301 to #9,482.
What does the Census say about the background of Chiasson?
Among Census respondents with the surname Chiasson, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Chiasson in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.5% (3,035 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Chiasson appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.5%), Hispanic (3.4%), Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Chiasson (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 Chiasson mean?
A French occupational surname derived from the Old French word "chausseur," meaning a maker or seller of shoes. 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 Chiasson (1.10 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 surname Chiasson?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.