Chynoweth last name popularity, history, and meaning

Find out how popular the last name Chynoweth is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Chynoweth.

Meaning of Chynoweth

A Cornish surname derived from "chyn" meaning old and "voydh" meaning dwelling or homestead.

Chynoweth, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Chynoweth surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Chynoweth in America

Chynoweth is the 41799th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Chynoweth surname appeared 520 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Chynoweth.

We can also compare 2010 data for Chynoweth to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 41799 49671 -17.21%
Count 520 397 26.83%
Proportion per 100k 0.18 0.15 18.18%

The history of the last name Chynoweth

The surname Chynoweth is believed to have originated in Cornwall, England, tracing its roots back to the medieval period. It is a locational name, derived from the Cornish place name "Chenoweth" or "Chenowydh," which means "new house" or "new dwelling." This name likely emerged in reference to a noteworthy or prominent new house or settlement established in the Cornish landscape during the early days of surname adoption.

The earliest known record of the name dates back to the 13th century, with references to individuals bearing variations such as "de Chenoweth" and "de Chenowydh" found in ancient Cornish records and manuscripts. These early spellings reflect the locational origins of the surname and its association with a specific place in Cornwall.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Chynoweth name can be found in the "Feet of Fines" records from 1273, which document a land transaction involving a person named John de Chenoweth. This historical document provides valuable insight into the prevalence of the name in medieval Cornwall.

Throughout the centuries, the Chynoweth surname has undergone various spelling variations, including Chenoweth, Chenowydh, Chinnoweth, and Chinoweth, among others. These variations can be attributed to regional dialects, scribal errors, and the lack of standardized spelling conventions during earlier periods.

Notably, the Chynoweth family has produced several distinguished individuals throughout history. One such figure was Sir John Chynoweth (1542-1616), a prominent lawyer and member of the English gentry who served as a Member of Parliament for Cornwall in the late 16th century.

Another notable bearer of the name was Richard Chynoweth (1741-1803), a Cornish mining engineer and inventor who made significant contributions to the development of mining technology and safety practices in the late 18th century.

In the literary realm, John Chynoweth (1894-1984), a Cornish poet and writer, gained recognition for his works that captured the essence of Cornish life and culture, including his volume of poems titled "The Cornish Lover."

Moving into more recent times, David Chynoweth (1905-1989) was a prominent Australian cricketer who played for the Australian national team in the 1930s and later became a respected cricket administrator.

Additionally, the name Chynoweth has been associated with various place names in Cornwall, such as Chynoweth Farm and Chynoweth Terrace, further solidifying its deep-rooted connections to the Cornish landscape and heritage.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Chynoweth

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Chynoweth.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

  1. White only
  2. Black only
  3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
  4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
  5. Hispanic
  6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Chynoweth was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 94.23% 490
Non-Hispanic Black Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 0.96% 5
Hispanic Origin 4.23% 22

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Chynoweth has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 94.23% 93.95% 0.30%
Black (S)% 0.00% (S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander (S)% (S)% (S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% (S)% (S)%
Two or More Races 0.96% 2.27% -81.11%
Hispanic 4.23% 3.27% 25.60%

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Chynoweth was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Chynoweth, please contact us.

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"Chynoweth last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on June 12, 2025. http://namecensus.com/last-names/chynoweth-surname-popularity/.

"Chynoweth last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/chynoweth-surname-popularity/. Accessed 12 June, 2025

Chynoweth last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/chynoweth-surname-popularity/.

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