2010
#158,432
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.03
Very Rare Last name
Shevalier
French surname meaning "horseman" or "knight".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 114 Americans carry the last name Shevalier. That puts it at #156,005 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,006,617 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Shevalier 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
114
1 in 3,006,617
Census rank
#156,005
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
99
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 99 bearers of the surname Shevalier in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 156005th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Shevalier, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Black (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Shevalier
The surname SHEVALIER originated in France during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old French word "chevalier," which means "knight" or "cavalryman." This name was likely given to someone who was a knight or served in a cavalry unit.
The earliest recorded instances of the SHEVALIER surname date back to the 12th century in various regions of northern France, such as Normandy, Brittany, and Picardy. The name is found in several medieval records, including the Livre des Bourgeois de Reims, a registry of citizens in the city of Reims from the 13th century.
One notable figure with the SHEVALIER surname was Jean Chevalier, a French poet and playwright who lived from 1486 to 1536. He was renowned for his works on religious themes and is considered one of the pioneers of the Renaissance in French literature.
Another prominent individual was François Chevalier de Lorimier (1689-1775), a French-Canadian military officer and seigneur who played a significant role in the defense of Quebec during the French and Indian War.
In England, a variation of the name, CHEVALIER, can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which was a survey of land and property commissioned by William the Conqueror. This suggests that the name may have been introduced to England by Norman settlers after the conquest in 1066.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the SHEVALIER surname in the United States was that of Jacques Chevalier, a French Huguenot who settled in New York in the late 17th century. His descendants went on to establish themselves in various parts of the country.
Another notable figure was Philippe Chevalier (1766-1851), a French-American businessman and philanthropist who made significant contributions to the city of Philadelphia, including the founding of the Eastern State Penitentiary.
While the spelling and pronunciation of the name may have varied over time, the SHEVALIER surname has maintained its connection to the historical concept of knighthood and military service throughout its long and illustrious history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Shevalier
Among Census respondents with the surname Shevalier, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Black (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Shevalier 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 Shevalier surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.9% · 90
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 4
- Black or African American3.0% · 3
- Two or more races2.0% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Shevalier
Shevalier 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
#156,005
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 99
-3 bearers (-2.9%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 2,427 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #158,432 | 102 | 0.03 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #156,005 | 99 | 0.03 | -3 bearers (-2.9%) | Up 2,427 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 Shevalier 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 | #158,432 | #156,005 | 1.5% |
| Count | 102 | 99 | -2.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.03 | 0.03 | 10.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Shevalier bearers went from 102 to 99 (-2.9% change). The surname moved up 2,427 positions in the national ranking, going from #158,432 to #156,005.
FAQ
Shevalier surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Shevalier?
Name Census estimates that about 114 living Americans carry the surname Shevalier. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,006,617 residents.
How common is Shevalier?
Shevalier ranks #156,005 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 99 people with the surname Shevalier. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (114), 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 Shevalier.
Has Shevalier become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Shevalier went from 102 recorded bearers to 99. That is a decrease of 3 (-2.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #158,432 to #156,005.
What does the Census say about the background of Shevalier?
Among Census respondents with the surname Shevalier, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Black (3.0%). 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 Shevalier in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.9% (90 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Shevalier appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.9%), Hispanic (4.0%), Black (3.0%). 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 Shevalier (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 Shevalier mean?
French surname meaning "horseman" or "knight". 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 Shevalier (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 common is the surname Shevalier?
Find out how many people have the surname Shevalier on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.