2000
#3,002
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,051
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.10
Uncommon Last name
Choate
Derived from Middle English chetet, meaning "small cottage," likely referring to a person who lived in a small house.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 12,201 Americans carry the last name Choate. That puts it at #3,320 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.56 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 28,092 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Choate 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Choate with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
12K
1 in 28,092
Census rank
#3,320
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
11K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 10,640 bearers of the surname Choate in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.56 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3320th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Choate, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.0%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Choate
The surname CHOATE has its origins in England, with the earliest records dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English word "cēat," which means a small hut or temporary dwelling. This suggests that the name may have originated as a descriptive term for someone who lived in a small or temporary shelter.
In the Domesday Book, compiled in 1086, there are references to places with similar names, such as Chute in Wiltshire and Chute Forest in Hampshire. These place names may have influenced the development of the surname CHOATE.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname CHOATE can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1273, where a person named Richard Chote is mentioned. Another early record is from the Pipe Rolls of Hampshire in 1296, which lists a William Chote.
The spelling of the surname has evolved over time, with variations such as Chote, Chotte, and Choate appearing in different historical records. The modern spelling of CHOATE seems to have been established by the 16th century.
Notable individuals with the surname CHOATE include:
1. Rufus Choate (1799-1859), an American lawyer, orator, and political figure from Massachusetts.
2. Joseph Hodges Choate (1832-1917), an American lawyer and diplomat who served as the ambassador to Great Britain from 1899 to 1905.
3. George Choate (1808-1878), an American politician and jurist who served as a judge in New York.
4. Isaac Bassett Choate (1781-1857), an American lawyer and politician from Massachusetts.
5. William Gardner Choate (1830-1920), an American lawyer and businessman from New York.
These individuals, along with many others, have contributed to the history and legacy of the CHOATE surname, which has its roots in the early settlements of England and evolved over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Choate
Among Census respondents with the surname Choate, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.0%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Choate 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 Choate surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.4% · 9,189
- Two or more races5.0% · 531
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 362
- Black or African American2.6% · 278
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.0% · 210
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 70
Timeline
Historical Census data for Choate
Choate 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
#3,179
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 11,372
+321 bearers (+2.9%)
Per 100,000 3.86
Rank movement Down 177 places
2020
#3,320
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,640
-732 bearers (-6.4%)
Per 100,000 3.56
Rank movement Down 141 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,002 | 11,051 | 4.10 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,179 | 11,372 | 3.86 | +321 bearers (+2.9%) | Down 177 places |
| 2020 | #3,320 | 10,640 | 3.56 | -732 bearers (-6.4%) | Down 141 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 Choate 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 | #3,179 | #3,320 | -4.4% |
| Count | 11,372 | 10,640 | -6.4% |
| Per 100K | 3.86 | 3.56 | -7.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Choate bearers went from 11,372 to 10,640 (-6.4% change). The surname moved down 141 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,179 to #3,320.
FAQ
Choate surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Choate?
Name Census estimates that about 12,201 living Americans carry the surname Choate. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 28,092 residents.
How common is Choate?
Choate ranks #3,320 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.56 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 10,640 people with the surname Choate. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (12,201), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.56 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.56 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Choate.
Has Choate become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Choate went from 11,372 recorded bearers to 10,640. That is a decrease of 732 (-6.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,179 to #3,320.
What does the Census say about the background of Choate?
Among Census respondents with the surname Choate, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.0%) and Hispanic (3.4%). 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 Choate in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.4% (9,189 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Choate appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.4%), Two or More Races (5.0%), Hispanic (3.4%). 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 Choate (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 Choate mean?
Derived from Middle English chetet, meaning "small cottage," likely referring to a person who lived in a small house. 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 Choate (3.56 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 people share the surname Choate?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.