2000
#5,220
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,146
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.28
Rare Last name
Chinn
A toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "dweller at the ravine or chasm" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,773 Americans carry the last name Chinn. That puts it at #5,660 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.98 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 50,606 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Chinn 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 Chinn with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.8K
1 in 50,606
Census rank
#5,660
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,906 bearers of the surname Chinn in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.98 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5660th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Chinn, the largest self-reported group is White at 47.5%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (21.9%) and Black (17.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Chinn
The surname Chinn is of Anglo-Saxon origin and is derived from the Old English word "ċinn," which means "chin" or "jaw." It is believed to have originated as a nickname for someone with a prominent chin or jawline.
The earliest recorded instance of the Chinn surname dates back to the late 12th century in the county of Sussex, England. The Chinn family can be traced to the village of Chynhult, which is mentioned in the Domesday Book, a survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086.
In the 13th century, the name appeared in various forms, such as Chynne, Chynholt, and Chinnok, reflecting the variations in spelling and pronunciation common during that period. The Chinn family later spread to other parts of England, including Gloucestershire and Wiltshire.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Chinn was Ralph Chynn, who was mentioned in the Assize Rolls of Somerset in 1268. Another notable bearer of the name was John Chinn, a wealthy merchant from London, who lived in the late 14th century.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Chinn surname became more widespread, and several members of the family achieved prominence. Sir Henry Chinn (1562-1627) was a successful merchant and served as the Lord Mayor of London in 1624. Thomas Chinn (1605-1677) was a Puritan minister and author who published several religious works.
Another notable figure was Sir John Chinn (1709-1790), a British naval officer who served with distinction during the Seven Years' War and the American Revolutionary War. He was knighted for his service in 1779.
In the 19th century, Edward Chinn (1803-1879) was a prominent British industrialist and entrepreneur who founded the Chinn Mineral Water Company in Harborne, Birmingham. His son, William Chinn (1846-1926), continued the family business and became a successful philanthropist.
While the Chinn surname has its roots in England, it has since spread to other parts of the world, including the United States, Canada, and Australia, carried by immigrants and their descendants.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Chinn
Among Census respondents with the surname Chinn, the largest self-reported group is White at 47.5%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (21.9%) and Black (17.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Chinn 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 Chinn surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White47.5% · 2,804
- Asian and Pacific Islander21.9% · 1,292
- Black or African American17.8% · 1,049
- Two or more races8.8% · 522
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 205
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 34
Timeline
Historical Census data for Chinn
Chinn 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
#5,601
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,211
+65 bearers (+1.1%)
Per 100,000 2.11
Rank movement Down 381 places
2020
#5,660
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,906
-305 bearers (-4.9%)
Per 100,000 1.98
Rank movement Down 59 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,220 | 6,146 | 2.28 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,601 | 6,211 | 2.11 | +65 bearers (+1.1%) | Down 381 places |
| 2020 | #5,660 | 5,906 | 1.98 | -305 bearers (-4.9%) | Down 59 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 Chinn 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 | #5,601 | #5,660 | -1.1% |
| Count | 6,211 | 5,906 | -4.9% |
| Per 100K | 2.11 | 1.98 | -6.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Chinn bearers went from 6,211 to 5,906 (-4.9% change). The surname moved down 59 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,601 to #5,660.
FAQ
Chinn surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Chinn?
Name Census estimates that about 6,773 living Americans carry the surname Chinn. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 50,606 residents.
How common is Chinn?
Chinn ranks #5,660 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.98 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,906 people with the surname Chinn. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,773), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.98 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.98 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Chinn.
Has Chinn become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Chinn went from 6,211 recorded bearers to 5,906. That is a decrease of 305 (-4.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,601 to #5,660.
What does the Census say about the background of Chinn?
Among Census respondents with the surname Chinn, the largest self-reported group is White at 47.5%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (21.9%) and Black (17.8%). 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 Chinn in the 2020 Census, accounting for 47.5% (2,804 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Chinn appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (47.5%), Asian/Pacific Islander (21.9%), Black (17.8%). 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 Chinn (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 Chinn mean?
A toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "dweller at the ravine or chasm" in Old English. 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 Chinn (1.98 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 have the surname Chinn?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.