Find out how popular the last name Chippewa is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Chippewa.

Chippewa, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Chippewa surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Chippewa in America

Chippewa is the 96368th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Chippewa surname appeared 189 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Chippewa.

We can also compare 2010 data for Chippewa to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Chippewa

The surname "Chippewa" is of Native American origin, specifically from the Ojibwe people, one of the largest groups of indigenous peoples in North America. The name is derived from the Ojibwe word "Ojibwe," which means "puckered" or "to pucker," referring to the distinctive style of moccasin worn by the tribe.

The Ojibwe people, also known as the Chippewa, are an Anishinaabe people who inhabited the areas around the Great Lakes region, including parts of modern-day Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Ontario. The name "Chippewa" was used by the French and later adopted by English speakers, becoming a common surname among those with Ojibwe ancestry.

One of the earliest recorded uses of the name "Chippewa" can be found in the journals of French explorers and missionaries who encountered the Ojibwe people in the 17th century. These early accounts often referred to them as "Chippewas" or "Saulteurs" (a French term meaning "people of the rapids").

In the 18th and 19th centuries, as Europeans settled in the Great Lakes region, many Ojibwe individuals adopted surnames, including Chippewa. Some notable historical figures with the surname Chippewa include Chief Hole-in-the-Day (1828-1868), a leader of the Mississippi Band of Ojibwe, and George Bonga (1802-1884), an Ojibwe fur trader and explorer who was one of the first African-American settlers in Minnesota.

Other notable individuals with the surname Chippewa include Lottie Chippewa (1854-1899), a Native American artist and educator; George Chippewa (1854-1928), a member of the Mississippi Band of Ojibwe and prominent advocate for Native American rights; and Winona Chippewa (1871-1952), a Chippewa author and educator who worked to preserve the Ojibwe language and culture.

The surname "Chippewa" is closely tied to the history and traditions of the Ojibwe people, serving as a reminder of their enduring presence and contributions to the cultural fabric of North America.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Chippewa

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Chippewa.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Chippewa was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Chippewa has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Chippewa was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Chippewa, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!