2000
#115,489
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 140
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Chinners
A comedic nickname referring to someone with a prominent or protruding chin.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 125 Americans carry the last name Chinners. That puts it at #150,205 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,742,035 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Chinners 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
125
1 in 2,742,035
Census rank
#150,205
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
109
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 109 bearers of the surname Chinners in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 150205th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Chinners, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Black (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Chinners
The surname Chinners has its origins in England, with records dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "cin," meaning "chin," suggesting that the name was initially given as a descriptive nickname to someone with a prominent or distinctive chin.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Chinners can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1195, which mentions a person named Robert Chynnere. This spelling variation illustrates the evolution of the name over time.
In the 13th century, the Hundred Rolls of Huntingdonshire (1273-1279) contain a reference to a Radulfus Chynnere, indicating the name's presence in different parts of England during the medieval period.
The Chinners surname has been associated with various place names in England, such as Chinnerys in Oxfordshire and Chinners End in Buckinghamshire. These place names likely evolved from the surname itself or vice versa, reflecting the close relationship between surnames and geographical locations.
One notable figure bearing the Chinners surname was John Chinners (c. 1480-1551), a prominent English churchman who served as the Bishop of Lincoln from 1532 until his death in 1551. His tenure as bishop coincided with the tumultuous period of the English Reformation.
Another individual of historical significance was Sir Thomas Chinners (1567-1638), a Member of Parliament for Gloucestershire during the reign of King James I. He was known for his active role in local politics and his advocacy for the rights of landowners.
In the 18th century, a notable Chinners was Elizabeth Chinners (1720-1789), a writer and poet from Lincolnshire. Her collection of poems, "The Garland of Roses," published in 1762, gained recognition in literary circles of the time.
The Chinners surname has also been associated with the Chinnerys family, a prominent landowning family in Oxfordshire during the 16th and 17th centuries. Sir Richard Chinnerys (1582-1654) was a respected landowner and served as a Member of Parliament for Oxfordshire in the early 1600s.
Another noteworthy figure was Captain William Chinners (1745-1819), a British naval officer who distinguished himself during the Napoleonic Wars. He played a crucial role in several naval battles and was awarded honors for his bravery and leadership.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Chinners
Among Census respondents with the surname Chinners, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Black (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Chinners 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 Chinners surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.6% · 102
- Two or more races3.7% · 4
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Chinners
Chinners 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
#128,249
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 133
-7 bearers (-5.0%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 12,760 places
2020
#150,205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
-24 bearers (-18.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 21,956 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #115,489 | 140 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #128,249 | 133 | 0.05 | -7 bearers (-5.0%) | Down 12,760 places |
| 2020 | #150,205 | 109 | 0.04 | -24 bearers (-18.0%) | Down 21,956 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 Chinners 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 | #128,249 | #150,205 | -17.1% |
| Count | 133 | 109 | -18.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -27.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Chinners bearers went from 133 to 109 (-18.0% change). The surname moved down 21,956 positions in the national ranking, going from #128,249 to #150,205.
FAQ
Chinners surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Chinners?
Name Census estimates that about 125 living Americans carry the surname Chinners. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,742,035 residents.
How common is Chinners?
Chinners ranks #150,205 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 109 people with the surname Chinners. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (125), 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 Chinners.
Has Chinners become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Chinners went from 133 recorded bearers to 109. That is a decrease of 24 (-18.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #128,249 to #150,205.
What does the Census say about the background of Chinners?
Among Census respondents with the surname Chinners, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Chinners in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.6% (102 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Chinners appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.6%), Two or More Races (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 Chinners (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 Chinners mean?
A comedic nickname referring to someone with a prominent or protruding chin. 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 Chinners (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 Americans have the surname Chinners?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.