2000
#33,292
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 647
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.24
Very Rare Last name
Chillemi
A surname of uncertain origin, possibly related to the Greek word "chilioi" meaning "a thousand".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 716 Americans carry the last name Chillemi. That puts it at #38,228 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.21 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 478,707 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Chillemi 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
716
1 in 478,707
Census rank
#38,228
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
624
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 624 bearers of the surname Chillemi in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.21 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 38228th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Chillemi, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Chillemi
The surname Chillemi has its origins in Italy, specifically in the island of Sicily. The name is believed to have emerged during the medieval period, around the 12th or 13th century. It is derived from the Greek word "khilios," meaning a thousand, suggesting that the name may have been associated with a person who possessed a large amount of wealth or property.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Chillemi surname can be found in a document from the town of Alcamo, located in the province of Trapani, Sicily, dating back to the early 15th century. This document mentions a certain Antonino Chillemi, who was a prominent landowner in the area.
The Chillemi name has also been linked to various place names throughout Sicily, such as the town of Chillemi in the province of Messina. It is possible that the surname originated from this particular location, and individuals who resided there may have adopted the name as a way to identify their place of origin.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the Chillemi surname. One such person was Francesco Chillemi (1547-1624), a Sicilian painter and architect known for his work on several churches and buildings in Palermo and other parts of Sicily during the Renaissance period.
Another prominent figure was Vincenzo Chillemi (1695-1773), a Sicilian historian and author who wrote extensively about the history and culture of Sicily. His most famous work, "Notizie Antiche e Moderne della Città di Messina" (Ancient and Modern Notes of the City of Messina), published in 1742, is considered a valuable source of information about the city's past.
In the 19th century, Giuseppe Chillemi (1815-1892) was a Sicilian politician and lawyer who served as a member of the Italian Parliament and played a role in the unification of Italy under the Kingdom of Sardinia.
The Chillemi surname has also been associated with several places outside of Sicily. For instance, there are records of individuals with this name living in the city of Naples and other parts of the Campania region in southern Italy during the 16th and 17th centuries.
Additionally, the name Chillemi can be found in various historical documents and records from other parts of Italy, such as Calabria and Puglia, suggesting that individuals bearing this surname may have migrated or established themselves in these regions over time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Chillemi
Among Census respondents with the surname Chillemi, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (2.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Chillemi 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 Chillemi surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.9% · 580
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 24
- Two or more races2.1% · 13
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 5
- Black or African American0.2% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Chillemi
Chillemi 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
#35,721
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 629
-18 bearers (-2.8%)
Per 100,000 0.21
Rank movement Down 2,429 places
2020
#38,228
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 624
-5 bearers (-0.8%)
Per 100,000 0.21
Rank movement Down 2,507 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #33,292 | 647 | 0.24 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #35,721 | 629 | 0.21 | -18 bearers (-2.8%) | Down 2,429 places |
| 2020 | #38,228 | 624 | 0.21 | -5 bearers (-0.8%) | Down 2,507 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 Chillemi 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 | #35,721 | #38,228 | -7.0% |
| Count | 629 | 624 | -0.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.21 | 0.21 | -0.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Chillemi bearers went from 629 to 624 (-0.8% change). The surname moved down 2,507 positions in the national ranking, going from #35,721 to #38,228.
FAQ
Chillemi surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Chillemi?
Name Census estimates that about 716 living Americans carry the surname Chillemi. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 478,707 residents.
How common is Chillemi?
Chillemi ranks #38,228 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.21 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 624 people with the surname Chillemi. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (716), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.21 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.21 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 Chillemi.
Has Chillemi become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Chillemi went from 629 recorded bearers to 624. That is a decrease of 5 (-0.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #35,721 to #38,228.
What does the Census say about the background of Chillemi?
Among Census respondents with the surname Chillemi, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Chillemi in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.9% (580 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Chillemi appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.9%), Hispanic (3.8%), Two or More Races (2.1%). 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 Chillemi (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 Chillemi mean?
A surname of uncertain origin, possibly related to the Greek word "chilioi" meaning "a thousand". 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 Chillemi (0.21 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 many people are called Chillemi?
See how common the surname Chillemi is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.