2000
#129,619
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Chinsky
A surname of Russian/Slavic origin for someone from the village of Chinka.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 125 Americans carry the last name Chinsky. 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 Chinsky 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 Chinsky 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 Chinsky, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Chinsky
The surname Chinsky is believed to have originated in Eastern Europe, likely in modern-day Poland or Russia, during the medieval period. It is derived from the Slavic word "chin," meaning "order" or "rank," suggesting that the name may have been associated with a person's social status or occupation within a hierarchical system.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Chinsky can be found in the Metrica books, a collection of official records maintained by the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in the 16th and 17th centuries. These documents mention several individuals with variations of the name, such as Chinskie and Chynski.
The Chinsky surname is also linked to various place names in Eastern Europe, particularly in regions that were once part of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. For example, the village of Chynsk in present-day Belarus may have contributed to the formation and spread of the name.
In the 18th century, a notable individual bearing the name Chinsky was Andrey Chinsky, a Russian military officer and statesman who served under Catherine the Great. He played a crucial role in the expansion of the Russian Empire and the annexation of Crimea in 1783.
Another prominent figure with the Chinsky surname was Konstantin Chinsky, a Russian artist and educator who lived from 1833 to 1900. He is renowned for his landscape paintings and his contributions to the development of art education in Russia.
Moving into the 19th century, we find Ivan Chinsky, a Russian writer and journalist born in 1847. He is best known for his works exploring social and political issues of his time, as well as his contributions to various literary journals and newspapers.
In the early 20th century, Nikolai Chinsky (1876-1942) was a Russian Orthodox priest and theologian who played a significant role in the preservation of religious traditions and teachings during the tumultuous years of the Russian Revolution and the establishment of the Soviet Union.
Another notable figure from this period was Yevgenia Chinsky (1898-1973), a Russian-born American fashion designer and entrepreneur. She founded the successful fashion house "Chinsky" in New York City and dressed many prominent figures of her time, including First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy.
While the Chinsky surname has its roots in Eastern Europe, it has since spread to various parts of the world through migration and cultural exchange. However, the rich history and significance of this name remain deeply rooted in the regions where it originated, serving as a testament to the diverse cultural tapestry of Europe.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Chinsky
Among Census respondents with the surname Chinsky, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Chinsky 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 Chinsky surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.7% · 100
- Two or more races3.7% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 3
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Chinsky
Chinsky 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
#151,532
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
-13 bearers (-10.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 21,913 places
2020
#150,205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
+1 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 1,327 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #129,619 | 121 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #151,532 | 108 | 0.04 | -13 bearers (-10.7%) | Down 21,913 places |
| 2020 | #150,205 | 109 | 0.04 | +1 bearers (+0.9%) | Up 1,327 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 Chinsky 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 | #151,532 | #150,205 | 0.9% |
| Count | 108 | 109 | 0.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Chinsky bearers went from 108 to 109 (+0.9% change). The surname moved up 1,327 positions in the national ranking, going from #151,532 to #150,205.
FAQ
Chinsky surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Chinsky?
Name Census estimates that about 125 living Americans carry the surname Chinsky. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,742,035 residents.
How common is Chinsky?
Chinsky 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 Chinsky. 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 Chinsky.
Has Chinsky become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Chinsky went from 108 recorded bearers to 109. That is an increase of 1 (+0.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #151,532 to #150,205.
What does the Census say about the background of Chinsky?
Among Census respondents with the surname Chinsky, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Chinsky in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.7% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Chinsky appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.7%), Two or More Races (3.7%), Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Chinsky (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 Chinsky mean?
A surname of Russian/Slavic origin for someone from the village of Chinka. 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 Chinsky (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 common is the surname Chinsky?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Chinsky at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.