2000
#11,794
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,433
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.90
Rare Last name
Chicas
Derived from the Spanish word "chica," meaning "girl" or "small," often referring to the youngest daughter in a family.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,722 Americans carry the last name Chicas. That puts it at #6,537 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.67 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 59,901 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Chicas 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
5.7K
1 in 59,901
Census rank
#6,537
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,990 bearers of the surname Chicas in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.67 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6537th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Chicas, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 95.5%. The next largest groups are White (3.2%) and Black (0.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Chicas
The surname Chicas originated in Spain during the medieval period. It is derived from the Spanish word "chica," meaning "young girl" or "small." The name likely referred to a young woman or a diminutive person.
One of the earliest known records of the Chicas surname dates back to the 13th century in the region of Andalusia, southern Spain. The name was often associated with places like Chicas, a small village near the town of Seville.
In the 14th century, the Chicas family established itself as a prominent noble lineage in the Kingdom of Castile. Historical documents mention Diego López de Chicas, a knight who fought in the conquest of Granada against the Moors in the late 15th century.
During the Spanish Renaissance, the Chicas name gained further recognition with notable individuals such as Juan de Chicas, a renowned poet and writer who lived in the 16th century (1520-1588). His works, including sonnets and lyrical verses, were widely celebrated in literary circles of the time.
Moving into the 17th century, the Chicas family continued to have a notable presence in various regions of Spain. One notable figure was Pedro Chicas y Guzmán (1605-1671), a scholar and theologian who authored several treatises on religious philosophy.
In the 18th century, the Chicas surname also spread to the Spanish colonies in the Americas, particularly in Mexico and South America. Miguel Chicas (1725-1801), a Spanish military officer and explorer, was instrumental in mapping and establishing settlements in the region now known as Guatemala.
Throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, the Chicas name was associated with influential figures in various fields, such as politics, arts, and academia. For instance, Alejandro Chicas (1845-1915) was a prominent politician and diplomat who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs in El Salvador.
Despite its Spanish roots, the Chicas surname has since spread to other parts of the world, although it remains most prevalent in Spanish-speaking countries and regions with strong historical ties to Spain.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Chicas
Among Census respondents with the surname Chicas, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 95.5%. The next largest groups are White (3.2%) and Black (0.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Chicas 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 Chicas surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino95.5% · 4,765
- White3.2% · 158
- Black or African American0.5% · 25
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 16
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 14
- Two or more races0.2% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Chicas
Chicas 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
#7,677
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,324
+1,891 bearers (+77.7%)
Per 100,000 1.47
Rank movement Up 4,117 places
2020
#6,537
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,990
+666 bearers (+15.4%)
Per 100,000 1.67
Rank movement Up 1,140 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,794 | 2,433 | 0.90 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,677 | 4,324 | 1.47 | +1,891 bearers (+77.7%) | Up 4,117 places |
| 2020 | #6,537 | 4,990 | 1.67 | +666 bearers (+15.4%) | Up 1,140 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 Chicas 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 | #7,677 | #6,537 | 14.8% |
| Count | 4,324 | 4,990 | 15.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.47 | 1.67 | 13.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Chicas bearers went from 4,324 to 4,990 (+15.4% change). The surname moved up 1,140 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,677 to #6,537.
FAQ
Chicas surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Chicas?
Name Census estimates that about 5,722 living Americans carry the surname Chicas. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 59,901 residents.
How common is Chicas?
Chicas ranks #6,537 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.67 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,990 people with the surname Chicas. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,722), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.67 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.67 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Chicas.
Has Chicas become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Chicas went from 4,324 recorded bearers to 4,990. That is an increase of 666 (+15.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #7,677 to #6,537.
What does the Census say about the background of Chicas?
Among Census respondents with the surname Chicas, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 95.5%. The next largest groups are White (3.2%) and Black (0.5%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Chicas in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.5% (4,765 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Chicas appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (95.5%), White (3.2%), Black (0.5%). 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 Chicas (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 Chicas mean?
Derived from the Spanish word "chica," meaning "girl" or "small," often referring to the youngest daughter in a family. 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 Chicas (1.67 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 common is the surname Chicas?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the surname Chicas on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.