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

Chiles, 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 Chiles surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Chiles in America

Chiles is the 6831st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Chiles surname appeared 4,936 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Chiles.

We can also compare 2010 data for Chiles 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 Chiles

The surname Chiles has its origins in Spain, where it is derived from the Spanish word "chile," which means "chili pepper." The name likely originated in the 16th or 17th century, when the chili pepper was first introduced to Europe from the Americas.

In Spain, the name Chiles was often associated with individuals who cultivated or traded in chili peppers. The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in various documents from the 16th and 17th centuries, such as parish records and municipal archives.

One notable individual bearing the surname Chiles was Pedro Chiles, a Spanish explorer and navigator who participated in several expeditions to the Americas in the late 16th century. Another early record of the name is found in the Archivo General de Indias, a collection of historical documents related to the Spanish Empire in the Americas, where a certain Juan Chiles is mentioned as a merchant operating in Mexico in the early 17th century.

As Spanish exploration and colonization spread across the Americas, the surname Chiles likely traveled with individuals who settled in various regions. For instance, there are records of individuals with the surname Chiles living in areas of present-day Chile and Peru in the 17th and 18th centuries.

In the United States, the surname Chiles can be traced back to the 18th century, when Spanish settlers and immigrants began arriving in regions like Texas, New Mexico, and California. One notable figure with this surname was John Chiles (1761-1838), a pioneer and explorer who was among the first English-speaking settlers in the Missouri Territory.

Other individuals bearing the surname Chiles who have made significant contributions include Benjamin Chiles (1805-1886), a prominent lawyer and judge in Missouri during the 19th century, and Abram Chiles (1825-1905), a Baptist minister and educator who played a crucial role in establishing several educational institutions in Texas.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Chiles

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

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

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

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