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

Chichester, 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 Chichester surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Chichester in America

Chichester is the 16349th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Chichester surname appeared 1,762 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 Chichester.

We can also compare 2010 data for Chichester 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 Chichester

The surname Chichester originated in England and can be traced back to the 11th century. It is a locational name derived from the city of Chichester in West Sussex, which was originally recorded as "Cissanceaster" in the Domesday Book of 1086. The name is believed to come from the Old English words "Cissa" (a personal name) and "ceaster" (a Roman fort or town).

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Chichester was in 1203, when Richard de Chichester was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Sussex. Another early record dates back to 1273, when Walter de Chichester was listed in the Hundred Rolls of Berkshire.

Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the Chichester surname. One of the most prominent was Sir Ralph Chichester (c. 1489-1557), who served as Lord Deputy of Ireland from 1605 to 1616. Another notable figure was Sir Edward Chichester (1568-1648), an English army officer and statesman who played a significant role in the plantation of Ulster in Ireland.

In the ecclesiastical realm, St. Richard of Chichester (c. 1197-1253) was a prominent figure, serving as the Bishop of Chichester from 1245 until his death. He was canonized in 1262 and is the patron saint of Sussex.

Another notable individual was Sir Arthur Chichester (1563-1625), an English soldier and colonial administrator who served as the Lord Deputy of Ireland from 1604 to 1614. He played a crucial role in the Plantation of Ulster and the establishment of the Protestant Ascendancy in Ireland.

The Chichester surname has also been associated with several place names, such as Chichester in West Sussex, as well as other locations in England, including Chichester in Wiltshire and Chichester in Devon.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Chichester

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

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

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

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