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

Chila, 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 Chila surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Chila in America

Chila is the 61297th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Chila surname appeared 328 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 Chila.

We can also compare 2010 data for Chila 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 Chila

The surname CHILA has its origins in Spain, with records dating back to the 15th century. It is derived from the Spanish word "chilla," which means "shrill" or "high-pitched sound." This suggests that the name may have originally been a nickname given to someone with a shrill or piercing voice.

The earliest known reference to the name CHILA can be found in a 1492 census record from the region of Andalusia, where several families with this surname were recorded. It is believed that the name may have originated in this southern region of Spain, possibly among the Moorish population that lived there during the Middle Ages.

In the 16th century, the CHILA surname began to spread to other parts of Spain, including the regions of Castile and Aragon. Several notable individuals with this surname emerged during this time, such as Diego de Chila, a renowned poet who lived in Seville during the late 1500s.

During the 17th and 18th centuries, the CHILA name continued to be found throughout Spain, with some families migrating to the Spanish colonies in the Americas. One notable figure from this period was Juan de Chila y Navarrete, a Spanish explorer who led expeditions to the Philippine Islands in the late 1600s.

As the Spanish Empire expanded, the CHILA surname also spread to other parts of the world. In the 19th century, there are records of individuals with this name living in Mexico, Argentina, and Cuba. One notable figure from this time was Francisco Chila, a Cuban revolutionary who fought against Spanish rule in the Ten Years' War (1868-1878).

In the 20th century, the CHILA surname continued to be found in various Spanish-speaking countries, as well as among immigrant communities in the United States and other parts of the world. One noteworthy individual with this name was Manuel Chila, a Mexican writer and journalist who lived from 1897 to 1967.

While the CHILA surname is relatively uncommon, it has a rich history that spans centuries and continents, with its roots firmly planted in the Iberian Peninsula. From poets and explorers to revolutionaries and writers, the CHILA name has been carried by a diverse array of individuals throughout the ages.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Chila

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

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

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

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