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

Chiera, 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 Chiera surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Chiera in America

Chiera is the 69996th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Chiera surname appeared 280 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Chiera.

We can also compare 2010 data for Chiera 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 Chiera

The surname Chiera has its origins in Italy, specifically in the northern regions of the country. It is believed to have emerged during the Middle Ages, sometime between the 12th and 14th centuries.

Chiera is likely derived from the Italian word "chiera," which means "clergy" or "clerical order." This suggests that the name may have been originally associated with individuals who were part of the clergy or had some connection to the church or religious orders.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Chiera can be found in historical documents from the city of Genoa, dating back to the late 13th century. These records mention individuals with the surname Chiera who were involved in various trades and professions within the city.

In the 14th century, there are references to a prominent Chiera family residing in the town of Asti, located in the Piedmont region of northwestern Italy. This family held significant influence and wealth, and their name appears in various municipal records and chronicles from that era.

During the Renaissance period, a notable figure with the surname Chiera was Giovanni Battista Chiera (1520-1589), a renowned painter from the city of Vercelli. His works can still be found in various churches and galleries throughout northern Italy.

Another prominent individual with the Chiera surname was Cesare Chiera (1620-1690), a Baroque architect from Turin. He was responsible for designing several notable buildings in the city, including the Palazzo Madama and the Church of Santa Cristina.

In the 19th century, Vincenzo Chiera (1836-1918) was a distinguished Italian linguist and philologist who made significant contributions to the study of Semitic languages. He was born in Chivasso, near Turin, and spent much of his career teaching at the University of Turin.

Another notable figure was Matteo Chiera (1848-1927), a Catholic prelate who served as the Apostolic Vicar of Eritrea, a territory in East Africa that was an Italian colony at the time. He played a significant role in establishing the Catholic Church's presence in the region.

Throughout history, the surname Chiera has been associated with various professions, including clergy, artists, architects, scholars, and religious leaders, reflecting its possible origins and connections to the ecclesiastical realm.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Chiera

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!