2000
#1,255
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 25,673
First available Census row
Per 100,000 9.52
Uncommon Last name
Chin
A Chinese surname referring to the Jin state or meaning "money", "gold", "catty", or "to bequeath".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 31,905 Americans carry the last name Chin. That puts it at #1,245 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 9.31 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 10,743 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Chin 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Chin with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
32K
1 in 10,743
Census rank
#1,245
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
9.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
28K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 27,823 bearers of the surname Chin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 9.31 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1245th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Chin, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 73.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (10.4%) and Black (7.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Chin
The surname CHIN has its origins in China, where it is a romanized version of the Chinese surname 陈 (Chén). This surname can be traced back to the Shang Dynasty (c. 1600–1046 BC), making it one of the oldest and most prominent Chinese surnames.
The earliest recorded instances of the CHIN surname can be found in historical texts and records from the Zhou Dynasty (c. 1046–256 BC). During this period, the name was associated with various noble families and scholars, including Chen Sheng, a renowned leader of the Dazexiang Uprising, which played a crucial role in the downfall of the Qin Dynasty.
In the Tang Dynasty (618–907 AD), the CHIN surname gained further prominence with notable figures such as Chen Zi'ang (661–702 AD), a renowned poet and calligrapher, and Chen Guangrui (723–815 AD), a famous military strategist who served under the Tang emperor Dezong.
As the surname spread across China, regional variations and dialectal pronunciations led to alternative spellings, including Chan, Tan, and Tran. These variations are particularly common in the southern regions of China and among Chinese communities in Southeast Asia.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the CHIN surname outside of China can be found in the Kamakura period (1185–1333) in Japan, where it was associated with Chinese immigrants and traders who settled in the country.
Notable historical figures bearing the CHIN surname include Chen Hongshou (1599–1652), a renowned painter and calligrapher during the Ming Dynasty, and Chen Qingying (1637–1687), a celebrated dramatist and poet of the Qing Dynasty.
In more recent history, the CHIN surname has been carried by influential individuals such as Chen Duxiu (1879–1942), a prominent figure in the Chinese Communist Movement, and Chen Kenichi (1912–1995), a renowned Japanese-American architect and designer.
It is important to note that while the CHIN surname has a rich history dating back thousands of years, its prevalence and geographic distribution have evolved over time due to migration patterns, cultural exchange, and societal changes.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Chin
Among Census respondents with the surname Chin, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 73.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (10.4%) and Black (7.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Chin 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 Chin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander73.2% · 20,365
- Two or more races10.4% · 2,903
- Black or African American7.1% · 1,969
- White5.4% · 1,500
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 1,072
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Chin
Chin 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
#1,279
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 27,487
+1,814 bearers (+7.1%)
Per 100,000 9.32
Rank movement Down 24 places
2020
#1,245
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 27,823
+336 bearers (+1.2%)
Per 100,000 9.31
Rank movement Up 34 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,255 | 25,673 | 9.52 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,279 | 27,487 | 9.32 | +1,814 bearers (+7.1%) | Down 24 places |
| 2020 | #1,245 | 27,823 | 9.31 | +336 bearers (+1.2%) | Up 34 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 Chin 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 | #1,279 | #1,245 | 2.7% |
| Count | 27,487 | 27,823 | 1.2% |
| Per 100K | 9.32 | 9.31 | -0.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Chin bearers went from 27,487 to 27,823 (+1.2% change). The surname moved up 34 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,279 to #1,245.
FAQ
Chin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Chin?
Name Census estimates that about 31,905 living Americans carry the surname Chin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 10,743 residents.
How common is Chin?
Chin ranks #1,245 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 9.31 per 100,000 residents, which is about 9 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 27,823 people with the surname Chin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (31,905), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 9.31 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 9.31 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 9 of them to have the surname Chin.
Has Chin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Chin went from 27,487 recorded bearers to 27,823. That is an increase of 336 (+1.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #1,279 to #1,245.
What does the Census say about the background of Chin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Chin, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 73.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (10.4%) and Black (7.1%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Chin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 73.2% (20,365 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Chin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (73.2%), Two or More Races (10.4%), Black (7.1%). 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 Chin (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 Chin mean?
A Chinese surname referring to the Jin state or meaning "money", "gold", "catty", or "to bequeath". 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 Chin (9.31 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 Americans have the surname Chin?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.