2000
#115,489
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 140
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Chope
A toponymic surname derived from a French locality name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 138 Americans carry the last name Chope. That puts it at #142,049 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,483,727 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Chope 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
138
1 in 2,483,727
Census rank
#142,049
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
120
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 120 bearers of the surname Chope in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142049th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Chope, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Chope
The surname Chope has its origins in England, dating back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Old English word "chop," meaning a small hill or mound, indicating that the name likely referred to someone who lived near or on a hill.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Norfolk, a census-like record from 1273, where it is written as "Choppe." Over time, the spelling evolved to its current form, "Chope."
In the 14th century, the name appeared in the tax records of Yorkshire, suggesting that the surname had spread to various regions of England. It is also mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1524, indicating the continued presence of the Chope family in different parts of the country.
Notably, the name Chope is associated with several historical figures. One of the earliest was John Chope (c.1430-1492), a wealthy merchant from Bristol who served as the city's mayor in 1484. His descendants played a prominent role in the local community for generations.
Another notable bearer of the name was Sir John Chope (1564-1639), a Member of Parliament for Somerset during the reign of King James I. He was a staunch Royalist and supported King Charles I during the English Civil War.
In the 18th century, William Chope (1742-1810) was a renowned clockmaker based in London. His timepieces were highly sought after and can still be found in various museums and private collections.
The name Chope also has connections to literary figures. Thomas Chope (1785-1857) was an English poet and writer who published several works, including "The Poetical Works of Thomas Chope" in 1838.
Additionally, the Chope name has been associated with place names in England, such as Chope Hill in Shropshire and Chope's Farm in Oxfordshire, further reinforcing the historical ties of this surname to the British Isles.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Chope
Among Census respondents with the surname Chope, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Chope 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 Chope surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.0% · 108
- Hispanic or Latino4.2% · 5
- Two or more races4.2% · 5
- Black or African American0.8% · 1
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Chope
Chope 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
#134,712
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 125
-15 bearers (-10.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 19,223 places
2020
#142,049
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
-5 bearers (-4.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 7,337 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #115,489 | 140 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #134,712 | 125 | 0.04 | -15 bearers (-10.7%) | Down 19,223 places |
| 2020 | #142,049 | 120 | 0.04 | -5 bearers (-4.0%) | Down 7,337 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 Chope 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 | #134,712 | #142,049 | -5.4% |
| Count | 125 | 120 | -4.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | 0.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Chope bearers went from 125 to 120 (-4.0% change). The surname moved down 7,337 positions in the national ranking, going from #134,712 to #142,049.
FAQ
Chope surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Chope?
Name Census estimates that about 138 living Americans carry the surname Chope. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,483,727 residents.
How common is Chope?
Chope ranks #142,049 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 120 people with the surname Chope. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (138), 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 Chope.
Has Chope become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Chope went from 125 recorded bearers to 120. That is a decrease of 5 (-4.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #134,712 to #142,049.
What does the Census say about the background of Chope?
Among Census respondents with the surname Chope, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.2%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Chope in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.0% (108 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Chope appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.0%), Hispanic (4.2%), Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Chope (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 Chope mean?
A toponymic surname derived from a French locality name. 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 Chope (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 common is the surname Chope?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Chope is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.