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

Chilian, 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 Chilian surname is from the 2000 census data.

Popularity of Chilian in America

Chilian is the 149328th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Chilian surname appeared 101 times in the 2000 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Chilian.

The history of the last name Chilian

The surname Chilian has its origins in Eastern Europe, particularly in the region that is modern-day Romania. It can be traced back to the late Middle Ages, around the 13th to 15th centuries, when surnames began to be more commonly adopted across Europe. Given the phonetic construction of the name, it likely originates from a Slavic word or could have ties to the Latin term chiliarchus, meaning a commander of a thousand soldiers. This suggests that the name could originally have been a title or a descriptor of occupation rather than a family name.

The earliest recorded instances of the surname Chilian appear in Church and municipal records from Transylvania, a historic region which has been part of Romania since the early 20th century. One of the earliest mentioned individuals is Gregor Chilian, who was noted in a 1467 document as being a landholder in the Cluj County. The spelling of the surname remained relatively consistent over time, although occasional variations such as Chylian or Chillian were observed in later texts.

In the 17th century, the name appears more frequently in tax records, military rosters, and parish registries. An important figure bearing the surname was John Chilian, born in 1643, who served as a local magistrate in Brașov. He was actively involved in legal reforms and community governance until his death in 1702. Manuscripts from this period, including probate documents and marriage licenses, further confirm the presence of the Chilian family in Transylvania and parts of Moldavia.

By the 19th century, the Chilian surname had spread beyond Romania. One notable individual is Mihai Chilian, a merchant born in 1805, who became well-known in the city of Galați for his involvement in the grain trade. His influence on local commerce was documented in various business directories and economic reports of the time. Another prominent Chilian from the 19th century was Alexandra Chilian, born in 1856, who was recognized for her contributions to education and women's rights in Bucharest.

Moving into the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the name gained some recognition due to Gavril Chilian, a scholar born in 1872. He was an accomplished historian who wrote extensively on the Ottoman influence in Eastern Europe. His works are still referenced today in studies of Ottoman-Romanian relations.

The surname Chilian has occasionally been linked with variations depending on regional dialects and orthographic changes over centuries. Despite these differences, the core identity and lineage associated with the name have remained relatively intact. The historical significance and the presence of documented individuals bearing the name illustrate its long-standing presence in Eastern European history, particularly within the Romanian cultural context.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Chilian

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

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 2000 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Chilian 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.

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

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

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