2000
#112,967
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 144
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Chiz
An occupational surname derived from the Italian word "chiesa" meaning church.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 125 Americans carry the last name Chiz. 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 Chiz 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 Chiz 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 Chiz, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (11.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Chiz
The surname "CHIZ" is believed to have originated in Spain during the late medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century. It likely derived from the Spanish word "chispa," meaning "spark" or "spark of fire," indicating that the name may have been initially associated with individuals who worked as blacksmiths or in other fire-related trades.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the archives of the city of Seville, where a certain Pedro Chiz was mentioned in a document dated 1387. This document referred to him as a metalworker, lending credence to the theory that the name was originally tied to professions involving fire or metalwork.
In the 15th century, the Chiz family seemed to have established a presence in the region of Catalonia, where variations of the name, such as "Chitz" and "Chits," can be found in local records. This suggests that the name may have undergone some regional variations as it spread across different parts of Spain.
During the 16th century, the Chiz surname gained prominence in the city of Valencia, where a notable figure named Juan Chiz (1520-1588) was a renowned painter and sculptor. His works can still be found in various churches and monuments throughout the region, making him one of the most famous bearers of the Chiz surname from that era.
In the 17th century, the Chiz family appeared to have expanded their reach to the Spanish colonies in the Americas. Records from the 1630s indicate the presence of a María Chiz in the city of Cartagena, Colombia, where she was listed as a landowner and merchant.
Another notable individual with the Chiz surname was Cristóbal Chiz (1675-1743), a military officer who served in the Spanish Army during the War of the Spanish Succession. He played a significant role in several battles against the French forces and was awarded various honors for his bravery and strategic leadership.
As the centuries passed, the Chiz surname continued to be carried by individuals from diverse backgrounds, including artists, scholars, and military personnel. While its origins can be traced back to medieval Spain, the name has since spread to various parts of the world, reflecting the global reach and influence of Spanish culture and migration patterns.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Chiz
Among Census respondents with the surname Chiz, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (11.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Chiz 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 Chiz surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.2% · 95
- Hispanic or Latino11.9% · 13
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Chiz
Chiz 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
#129,825
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 131
-13 bearers (-9.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 16,858 places
2020
#150,205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
-22 bearers (-16.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 20,380 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #112,967 | 144 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #129,825 | 131 | 0.04 | -13 bearers (-9.0%) | Down 16,858 places |
| 2020 | #150,205 | 109 | 0.04 | -22 bearers (-16.8%) | Down 20,380 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 Chiz 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 | #129,825 | #150,205 | -15.7% |
| Count | 131 | 109 | -16.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Chiz bearers went from 131 to 109 (-16.8% change). The surname moved down 20,380 positions in the national ranking, going from #129,825 to #150,205.
FAQ
Chiz surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Chiz?
Name Census estimates that about 125 living Americans carry the surname Chiz. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,742,035 residents.
How common is Chiz?
Chiz 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 Chiz. 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 Chiz.
Has Chiz become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Chiz went from 131 recorded bearers to 109. That is a decrease of 22 (-16.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #129,825 to #150,205.
What does the Census say about the background of Chiz?
Among Census respondents with the surname Chiz, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (11.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (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 Chiz in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.2% (95 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Chiz appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.2%), Hispanic (11.9%), Asian/Pacific Islander (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 Chiz (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 Chiz mean?
An occupational surname derived from the Italian word "chiesa" meaning church. 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 Chiz (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 Chiz?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.