2010
#157,234
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Chohon
A short form of the Irish surname Coughlan, meaning "descendent of Cugelán".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 118 Americans carry the last name Chohon. That puts it at #154,182 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,904,698 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Chohon 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
118
1 in 2,904,698
Census rank
#154,182
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
103
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 103 bearers of the surname Chohon in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154182nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Chohon, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Chohon
The surname CHOHON originates from the Normandy region of northern France in the 11th century. It is derived from the Old French word "chehon", meaning a small cottage or hut. The name likely referred to someone who lived in a small dwelling or worked as a builder of such structures.
During the Norman Conquest of England in 1066, many Norman families bearing the CHOHON surname settled in various parts of Britain. The name appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a comprehensive survey of landholdings in England commissioned by William the Conqueror.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the CHOHON surname was Robert Chohon, who lived in Hampshire, England in the late 12th century. Records show that he was granted land in the village of Chohon, which may have contributed to the establishment of the surname.
In the 13th century, the name CHOHON was found in various spellings, such as Chohan, Chohoun, and Chohun, reflecting the variations in pronunciation and spelling during that period. The place name Chohon is believed to have originated from the Old English words "cot" and "huna", meaning a small dwelling or cottage.
One notable figure with the CHOHON surname was Sir John Chohon (1445-1512), a English knight who fought in the Wars of the Roses. He was a prominent supporter of the House of Lancaster and served under Henry VII.
Another historical figure was William Chohon (1562-1624), an English merchant and explorer who participated in several expeditions to the Americas. He was one of the early settlers in the Virginia Colony and helped establish trade routes with Native American tribes.
In France, the CHOHON surname can be traced back to the 14th century. Jean Chohon (1380-1452) was a French scholar and theologian who taught at the University of Paris. He authored several influential works on philosophy and theology.
During the 16th century, the CHOHON surname spread to other parts of Europe, including the Netherlands. Pieter Chohon (1525-1590) was a Dutch painter and engraver known for his religious and mythological works.
In Scotland, the CHOHON surname has a similar origin, derived from the Gaelic words "coit" and "chon", meaning a small dwelling or cottage. One notable Scotsman with this surname was Robert Chohon (1670-1745), a Presbyterian minister and advocate for religious tolerance.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Chohon
Among Census respondents with the surname Chohon, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Chohon 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 Chohon surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White98.1% · 101
- Two or more races1.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Chohon
Chohon appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#154,182
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 3,052 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #157,234 | 103 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #154,182 | 103 | 0.03 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Up 3,052 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 Chohon 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 | #157,234 | #154,182 | 1.9% |
| Count | 103 | 103 | 0.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.03 | 14.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Chohon bearers went from 103 to 103 (+0.0% change). The surname moved up 3,052 positions in the national ranking, going from #157,234 to #154,182.
FAQ
Chohon surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Chohon?
Name Census estimates that about 118 living Americans carry the surname Chohon. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,904,698 residents.
How common is Chohon?
Chohon ranks #154,182 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 103 people with the surname Chohon. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (118), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Chohon.
Has Chohon become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Chohon went from 103 recorded bearers to 103. That is an increase of 0 (+0.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #157,234 to #154,182.
What does the Census say about the background of Chohon?
Among Census respondents with the surname Chohon, the largest self-reported group is White at 98.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Chohon in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.1% (101 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Chohon appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (98.1%), Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Chohon (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 Chohon mean?
A short form of the Irish surname Coughlan, meaning "descendent of Cugelán". 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 Chohon (0.03 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 are called Chohon?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Chohon at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.