2000
#7,958
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,857
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.43
Rare Last name
Chon
A Korean surname derived from the Hanja character meaning "천" (sky or heaven).
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,801 Americans carry the last name Chon. That puts it at #9,407 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.11 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 90,175 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Chon 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
3.8K
1 in 90,175
Census rank
#9,407
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,315 bearers of the surname Chon in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.11 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9407th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Chon, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.0%) and White (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Chon
The surname CHON has its origins in the Czech Republic, where it first emerged in the late 13th century. The name is believed to be derived from the Czech word "chon," which means "to hunt" or "to chase." This suggests that the earliest bearers of this surname were likely hunters or individuals involved in hunting-related activities.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the CHON surname can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus et Epistolaris Regni Bohemiae, a collection of medieval documents and manuscripts from the Kingdom of Bohemia, dating back to the year 1283. The name is mentioned in connection with a landowner named Jan CHON, who held property near the town of Plzen.
During the 15th century, the CHON surname appears to have spread to neighboring regions, including parts of Germany and Austria. Historical records from this period mention a nobleman named Heinrich CHON, who was born in 1427 in the town of Brno, which was then part of the Margraviate of Moravia.
In the 16th century, the CHON surname is documented in various municipal records and tax rolls across Bohemia and Moravia. One notable individual from this era was Vaclav CHON, a prominent merchant and landowner who lived in Prague between 1542 and 1612.
As the CHON surname continued to spread throughout Central Europe, it underwent various spelling variations, such as Chone, Chönne, and Chonni. In the 18th century, a German philosopher and writer named Johann Gottlieb CHON (1736-1809) gained recognition for his works on ethics and moral philosophy.
Another notable bearer of the CHON surname was Karel CHON, a Czech military officer who served in the Austro-Hungarian Army during the Napoleonic Wars. He was born in 1785 in the town of Olomouc and participated in several major battles, including the Battle of Austerlitz in 1805.
It is worth noting that the CHON surname has also been associated with several place names in the Czech Republic and surrounding regions. For example, the village of Chonov in the Pilsen Region is believed to have derived its name from the CHON surname, indicating the possible presence of early settlers bearing this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Chon
Among Census respondents with the surname Chon, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.0%) and White (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Chon 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 Chon surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander89.3% · 2,961
- Hispanic or Latino5.0% · 167
- White2.5% · 82
- Two or more races2.3% · 76
- Black or African American0.6% · 20
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Chon
Chon 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
#8,981
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,643
-214 bearers (-5.5%)
Per 100,000 1.24
Rank movement Down 1,023 places
2020
#9,407
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,315
-328 bearers (-9.0%)
Per 100,000 1.11
Rank movement Down 426 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,958 | 3,857 | 1.43 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,981 | 3,643 | 1.24 | -214 bearers (-5.5%) | Down 1,023 places |
| 2020 | #9,407 | 3,315 | 1.11 | -328 bearers (-9.0%) | Down 426 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 Chon 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 | #8,981 | #9,407 | -4.7% |
| Count | 3,643 | 3,315 | -9.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.24 | 1.11 | -10.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Chon bearers went from 3,643 to 3,315 (-9.0% change). The surname moved down 426 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,981 to #9,407.
FAQ
Chon surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Chon?
Name Census estimates that about 3,801 living Americans carry the surname Chon. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 90,175 residents.
How common is Chon?
Chon ranks #9,407 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.11 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 3,315 people with the surname Chon. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,801), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.11 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.11 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 Chon.
Has Chon become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Chon went from 3,643 recorded bearers to 3,315. That is a decrease of 328 (-9.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,981 to #9,407.
What does the Census say about the background of Chon?
Among Census respondents with the surname Chon, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.0%) and White (2.5%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Chon in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.3% (2,961 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Chon appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (89.3%), Hispanic (5.0%), White (2.5%). 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 Chon (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 Chon mean?
A Korean surname derived from the Hanja character meaning "천" (sky or heaven). 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 Chon (1.11 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 Chon?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.