2000
#126,400
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 125
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Chitman
An English surname derived from a nickname for a person of agile or quick disposition.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Chitman. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Chitman 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
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Chitman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Chitman, the largest self-reported group is Black at 78.1%. The next largest groups are White (14.9%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Chitman
The surname Chitman is believed to have originated in England, with its roots traced back to the late medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century. It is thought to be derived from an occupational surname, referring to a person who was involved in the trade or craft of making chits or tallies, which were wooden sticks used for record-keeping and accounting purposes.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Chitman name can be found in the tax records of Gloucestershire, England, in the year 1327, where a certain Robert Chytman is listed as a taxpayer. This suggests that the name was already established in the region by that time.
The name Chitman may also have evolved from variations of place names, such as the village of Chittlehampton in Devon, England. In old records, the name appears with various spellings, including Chytman, Chitman, and Chittman, reflecting the fluidity of spelling conventions in those times.
Historically, the Chitman surname is associated with several notable individuals. One such figure was John Chitman, a prominent merchant and landowner who lived in the 16th century and was recorded as holding property in the parish of St. Botolph's, Aldgate, in the City of London, in the year 1565.
Another individual of note was William Chitman, a farmer and landowner from Worcestershire, who was born in 1612 and died in 1688. He is mentioned in the parish records of Kidderminster, where he owned substantial tracts of land.
In the 18th century, a certain Thomas Chitman gained recognition as a skilled clockmaker and watchmaker in the town of Coventry, Warwickshire. His work, dated between 1720 and 1760, is still highly regarded by horological enthusiasts and collectors.
Moving into the 19th century, the Chitman name gained further prominence with the exploits of Captain James Chitman, a British naval officer who served during the Napoleonic Wars. He was born in 1781 and was known for his bravery and leadership in several notable battles against the French fleet.
Lastly, in the realm of literature, the name Chitman is associated with the works of Robert Chitman, a poet and essayist who lived in the early 20th century. His collection of poems, titled "Echoes of the Countryside," published in 1923, received critical acclaim for its vivid depictions of rural English life.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Chitman
Among Census respondents with the surname Chitman, the largest self-reported group is Black at 78.1%. The next largest groups are White (14.9%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Chitman 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 Chitman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American78.1% · 89
- White14.9% · 17
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 3
- Two or more races2.6% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Chitman
Chitman 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
-17 bearers (-13.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 25,132 places
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
+6 bearers (+5.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 5,037 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #126,400 | 125 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #151,532 | 108 | 0.04 | -17 bearers (-13.6%) | Down 25,132 places |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | +6 bearers (+5.6%) | Up 5,037 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 Chitman 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 | #146,495 | 3.3% |
| Count | 108 | 114 | 5.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Chitman bearers went from 108 to 114 (+5.6% change). The surname moved up 5,037 positions in the national ranking, going from #151,532 to #146,495.
FAQ
Chitman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Chitman?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Chitman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Chitman?
Chitman ranks #146,495 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 114 people with the surname Chitman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), 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 Chitman.
Has Chitman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Chitman went from 108 recorded bearers to 114. That is an increase of 6 (+5.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #151,532 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Chitman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Chitman, the largest self-reported group is Black at 78.1%. The next largest groups are White (14.9%) and Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Chitman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.1% (89 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Chitman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (78.1%), White (14.9%), Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Chitman (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 Chitman mean?
An English surname derived from a nickname for a person of agile or quick disposition. 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 Chitman (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 Chitman?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.