2000
#4,874
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,613
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.45
Rare Last name
Chrisman
A surname derived from the personal name Christian, meaning "follower of Christ."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,994 Americans carry the last name Chrisman. That puts it at #5,502 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 49,007 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Chrisman 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
7.0K
1 in 49,007
Census rank
#5,502
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,099 bearers of the surname Chrisman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5502nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Chrisman, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Chrisman
The surname Chrisman has its origins in England, dating back to the 12th century. It is believed to be a locational name derived from the Old English words "crist" and "mann," meaning a man or servant of Christ.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Berkshire in 1176, where it appears as "Cristeman." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to a member of a religious order or someone associated with a church or monastery.
In the 13th century, the surname appears in various spellings, such as "Christeman," "Cristeman," and "Cristman," in records from different counties in England, including Oxfordshire, Cambridgeshire, and Gloucestershire.
It is noteworthy that in the 14th century, a William Cristman was mentioned in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire, indicating the presence of the surname in that region during that time period.
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was John Chrisman, who was born in Wiltshire, England, in the late 15th century. He served as a yeoman under King Henry VIII and was granted lands in the county for his service.
Another notable figure with the surname was Sir Richard Chrisman, born in Gloucestershire in 1598. He was a prominent merchant and alderman in the city of Bristol and played a significant role in the city's trade and governance during the 17th century.
In the 18th century, the Chrisman family had a presence in various parts of England, including Oxfordshire, where a Thomas Chrisman, born in 1712, was a respected landowner and farmer.
The surname also has connections to place names, as evidenced by the existence of Chrisman's Green, a hamlet in Hertfordshire, which likely took its name from an early bearer of the surname who resided or owned land in the area.
Other notable individuals with the surname Chrisman include:
1. William Chrisman (1730-1810), a British naval officer who served during the American Revolutionary War.
2. John Chrisman (1789-1858), an American politician who served as a U.S. Representative from Virginia.
3. Mary Chrisman (1852-1923), an American educator and suffragist who founded a school for girls in Oregon.
4. Edward Chrisman (1871-1944), an American businessman and philanthropist who established the Chrisman Fund for the advancement of medical research.
5. Robert Chrisman (1937-2016), an American poet and academic who taught at various universities and published several collections of poetry.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Chrisman
Among Census respondents with the surname Chrisman, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Chrisman 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 Chrisman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.2% · 5,500
- Two or more races3.9% · 235
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 209
- Black or African American1.2% · 71
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 48
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 36
Timeline
Historical Census data for Chrisman
Chrisman 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
#5,247
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,647
+34 bearers (+0.5%)
Per 100,000 2.25
Rank movement Down 373 places
2020
#5,502
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,099
-548 bearers (-8.2%)
Per 100,000 2.04
Rank movement Down 255 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,874 | 6,613 | 2.45 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,247 | 6,647 | 2.25 | +34 bearers (+0.5%) | Down 373 places |
| 2020 | #5,502 | 6,099 | 2.04 | -548 bearers (-8.2%) | Down 255 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 Chrisman 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 | #5,247 | #5,502 | -4.9% |
| Count | 6,647 | 6,099 | -8.2% |
| Per 100K | 2.25 | 2.04 | -9.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Chrisman bearers went from 6,647 to 6,099 (-8.2% change). The surname moved down 255 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,247 to #5,502.
FAQ
Chrisman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Chrisman?
Name Census estimates that about 6,994 living Americans carry the surname Chrisman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 49,007 residents.
How common is Chrisman?
Chrisman ranks #5,502 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,099 people with the surname Chrisman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,994), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Chrisman.
Has Chrisman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Chrisman went from 6,647 recorded bearers to 6,099. That is a decrease of 548 (-8.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,247 to #5,502.
What does the Census say about the background of Chrisman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Chrisman, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) 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 Chrisman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.2% (5,500 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Chrisman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.2%), Two or More Races (3.9%), 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 Chrisman (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 Chrisman mean?
A surname derived from the personal name Christian, meaning "follower of Christ." 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 Chrisman (2.04 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 Chrisman?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Chrisman on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.