2010
#144,141
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Chinchillas
A surname describing a place or region where chinchillas were found or traded.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 123 Americans carry the last name Chinchillas. That puts it at #151,639 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,786,621 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Chinchillas 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
123
1 in 2,786,621
Census rank
#151,639
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
107
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 107 bearers of the surname Chinchillas in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 151639th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Chinchillas, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.5%. The next largest groups are White (3.7%) and Black (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Chinchillas
The surname Chinchillas is believed to have originated from Spain during the late medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Spanish word "chinchilla," which refers to a small rodent native to the Andes mountains of South America. This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who worked with or traded in the fur of these animals.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Chinchillas can be found in the archives of the city of Seville, where a certain Juan Chinchillas was mentioned in a legal document from the year 1487. There is also evidence of the name appearing in the records of the Spanish Inquisition, indicating that some individuals with this surname may have been persecuted for their religious beliefs during that turbulent period.
In the 16th century, the Chinchillas name began to spread beyond Spain as Spanish explorers and colonists ventured to other parts of the world. One notable figure from this era was Pedro Chinchillas, a conquistador who accompanied Hernán Cortés on his expedition to conquer Mexico in 1519.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Chinchillas name appeared in various regions of Spain, including the provinces of Andalusia, Castile, and Aragon. In 1692, a man named Manuel Chinchillas was recorded as a member of the Spanish military, serving in the defense of the city of Barcelona during the War of the Grand Alliance.
In the 19th century, the Chinchillas surname began to migrate to Latin American countries as a result of Spanish colonization. One notable figure from this period was José Chinchillas, a Chilean poet and journalist who was born in 1828 and played a significant role in the literary movements of his time.
Another notable individual with the Chinchillas surname was María Chinchillas, a Mexican activist and feminist who lived from 1875 to 1947. She was a prominent figure in the struggle for women's rights and social justice in her country.
As the 20th century dawned, the Chinchillas name continued to spread across the globe, with individuals bearing this surname making their mark in various fields. One such person was Antonio Chinchillas, a Spanish painter who was born in 1910 and became known for his vibrant and colorful depictions of landscapes and still life scenes.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Chinchillas
Among Census respondents with the surname Chinchillas, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.5%. The next largest groups are White (3.7%) and Black (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Chinchillas 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 Chinchillas surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino93.5% · 100
- White3.7% · 4
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Chinchillas
Chinchillas appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#151,639
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 107
-8 bearers (-7.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,498 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #144,141 | 115 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #151,639 | 107 | 0.04 | -8 bearers (-7.0%) | Down 7,498 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 Chinchillas 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 | #144,141 | #151,639 | -5.2% |
| Count | 115 | 107 | -7.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -10.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Chinchillas bearers went from 115 to 107 (-7.0% change). The surname moved down 7,498 positions in the national ranking, going from #144,141 to #151,639.
FAQ
Chinchillas surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Chinchillas?
Name Census estimates that about 123 living Americans carry the surname Chinchillas. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,786,621 residents.
How common is Chinchillas?
Chinchillas ranks #151,639 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 107 people with the surname Chinchillas. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (123), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Chinchillas.
Has Chinchillas become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Chinchillas went from 115 recorded bearers to 107. That is a decrease of 8 (-7.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #144,141 to #151,639.
What does the Census say about the background of Chinchillas?
Among Census respondents with the surname Chinchillas, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 93.5%. The next largest groups are White (3.7%) and Black (0.9%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Chinchillas in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.5% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Chinchillas appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (93.5%), White (3.7%), Black (0.9%). 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 Chinchillas (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 Chinchillas mean?
A surname describing a place or region where chinchillas were found or traded. 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 Chinchillas (0.04 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 share the surname Chinchillas?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.