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

Chilel, 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 Chilel surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Chilel in America

Chilel is the 36525th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Chilel surname appeared 612 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 Chilel.

We can also compare 2010 data for Chilel 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 Chilel

The surname CHILEL originates from the Basque region of northern Spain and southwestern France, tracing its roots back to the 11th century. It is believed to be derived from the Basque words "chilel" or "txilel," which refer to a small bell or chime. This connection suggests that the name may have initially been an occupational surname for someone who worked as a bell-maker or ringer.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Cartulario de San Millán de la Cogolla, a collection of medieval manuscripts from the San Millán de la Cogolla monastery in La Rioja, Spain. In this document, dated around 1080, a person named Lope Chilel is mentioned as a witness to a land transaction.

During the 13th century, the name appears in various records from the Basque provinces of Gipuzkoa and Bizkaia, such as the Libro de Repartimiento de Álava, which documented the distribution of land and property in the area. These records often spell the name in different variations, including Chilel, Txilel, and Chillel.

In the 15th century, a notable figure bearing the CHILEL surname was Juan Chilel, a merchant from Bilbao who was involved in trade with England and the Low Countries. Records from the port of Bristol in England mention him conducting business transactions in the 1460s.

Another significant individual with this surname was María Chilel, a Spanish noblewoman from the Basque Country who lived in the 16th century. She was known for her involvement in philanthropic efforts and is mentioned in several historical documents related to charitable organizations in the region.

During the 17th century, the name CHILEL can be found in various parish records and census documents from the Basque provinces, indicating its continued presence in the region. One example is Pedro Chilel, a landowner from the town of Azpeitia, whose name appears in a cadastral survey from 1685.

As the centuries progressed, the CHILEL surname spread beyond the Basque region, with some bearers of the name migrating to other parts of Spain and even to the Americas. However, its origins and strongest historical ties remain rooted in the Basque Country.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Chilel

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

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

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

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