2000
#7,642
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,012
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.49
Rare Last name
Chisolm
A Scottish toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "cheese island" in Old English.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,858 Americans carry the last name Chisolm. That puts it at #7,559 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.42 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 70,555 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Chisolm 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
4.9K
1 in 70,555
Census rank
#7,559
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,236 bearers of the surname Chisolm in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.42 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7559th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Chisolm, the largest self-reported group is Black at 68.7%. The next largest groups are White (23.0%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Chisolm
The surname Chisolm is of Scottish origin, with roots dating back to the medieval era. It is derived from the Gaelic words "gille" meaning "servant" and "Chailm" which is a personal name derived from the Latin word "columba" meaning "dove." This combination suggests that the name may have originally referred to a servant or follower of a person named Chailm or Colm.
The earliest known record of the name Chisolm appears in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a historical record of Scottish landowners who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. The Chisolm family was originally based in the Scottish Highlands, particularly in the regions of Roxburghshire and Berwickshire.
One of the earliest documented individuals bearing the surname was John de Chesholme, who was recorded in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland in 1329. Another notable early figure was Walter de Chesholm, who was a witness to a charter granted by King David II of Scotland in 1364.
The Chisolm clan played a significant role in Scottish history, particularly during the Wars of Scottish Independence in the 14th century. Sir Robert Chisolm, who lived around 1300, was a prominent supporter of Robert the Bruce and fought alongside him in several battles against the English.
In the 15th century, the Chisolms were involved in a long-standing feud with the Clan Mackenzie over land disputes. This conflict culminated in the Battle of Blar-na-leine in 1499, where the Chisolms were defeated, and their chief, John Chisolm, was killed.
Prominent individuals with the surname Chisolm throughout history include:
1. Alexander Chisolm (1792-1858), a Scottish-born Canadian businessman and politician who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Nova Scotia.
2. Caroline Chisolm (1808-1877), an American abolitionist and advocate for women's rights, known for her work in establishing the first free schools for African American children in Boston.
3. Walter Chisholm (1888-1965), a Scottish rugby union player who represented Scotland in the early 20th century and played for the Melrose and Edinburgh Wanderers clubs.
4. Roderick Chisolm (1911-1983), a Canadian psychiatrist and former director-general of the World Health Organization from 1948 to 1953.
5. Shirley Chisolm (1924-2005), an American politician, educator, and author, who became the first African American woman elected to the United States Congress in 1968, representing New York's 12th congressional district.
While the surname Chisolm has its roots in Scotland, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through Scottish migration and settlement in North America and other regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Chisolm
Among Census respondents with the surname Chisolm, the largest self-reported group is Black at 68.7%. The next largest groups are White (23.0%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Chisolm 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 Chisolm surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American68.7% · 2,912
- White23.0% · 975
- Two or more races4.6% · 196
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 124
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 15
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Chisolm
Chisolm 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
#7,508
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,435
+423 bearers (+10.5%)
Per 100,000 1.50
Rank movement Up 134 places
2020
#7,559
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,236
-199 bearers (-4.5%)
Per 100,000 1.42
Rank movement Down 51 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,642 | 4,012 | 1.49 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,508 | 4,435 | 1.50 | +423 bearers (+10.5%) | Up 134 places |
| 2020 | #7,559 | 4,236 | 1.42 | -199 bearers (-4.5%) | Down 51 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 Chisolm 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 | #7,508 | #7,559 | -0.7% |
| Count | 4,435 | 4,236 | -4.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.50 | 1.42 | -5.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Chisolm bearers went from 4,435 to 4,236 (-4.5% change). The surname moved down 51 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,508 to #7,559.
FAQ
Chisolm surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Chisolm?
Name Census estimates that about 4,858 living Americans carry the surname Chisolm. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 70,555 residents.
How common is Chisolm?
Chisolm ranks #7,559 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.42 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,236 people with the surname Chisolm. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,858), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.42 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.42 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Chisolm.
Has Chisolm become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Chisolm went from 4,435 recorded bearers to 4,236. That is a decrease of 199 (-4.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,508 to #7,559.
What does the Census say about the background of Chisolm?
Among Census respondents with the surname Chisolm, the largest self-reported group is Black at 68.7%. The next largest groups are White (23.0%) and Two or More Races (4.6%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Chisolm in the 2020 Census, accounting for 68.7% (2,912 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Chisolm appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (68.7%), White (23.0%), Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Chisolm (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 Chisolm mean?
A Scottish toponymic surname derived from a place name meaning "cheese island" 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 Chisolm (1.42 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 Chisolm?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Chisolm at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.