2000
#1,559
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 21,153
First available Census row
Per 100,000 7.84
Uncommon Last name
Chacon
A Spanish habitational surname referring to someone from any of the various places named Chacón, meaning "field of thistles."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 33,033 Americans carry the last name Chacon. That puts it at #1,194 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 9.64 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 10,376 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Chacon 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
33K
1 in 10,376
Census rank
#1,194
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
9.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
29K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 28,806 bearers of the surname Chacon in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 9.64 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1194th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Chacon, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.9%. The next largest groups are White (7.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Chacon
The surname Chacon has its origins in Spain and is derived from the Spanish word "chacon", which means a stout or thickset person. It is believed to have been an occupational surname given to a person with a robust or stocky build.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Chacon can be traced back to the 12th century in the regions of Castile and Aragon in Spain. Several manuscripts and historical records from that era mention individuals bearing this surname.
In the 13th century, a notable figure named Gonzalo Chacon was a prominent military leader who fought in the Reconquista, the campaign to drive the Moors out of the Iberian Peninsula. He was born in 1228 and played a significant role in the conquest of Cordoba.
During the 15th century, the Chacon family gained prominence in Andalusia, particularly in the city of Baeza. One of the most notable members was Juan Chacon, a wealthy landowner and patron of the arts who lived from 1435 to 1503.
The surname Chacon also has connections to various place names in Spain, such as Chacon de la Braña and Chacon de Abajo, which likely derived their names from early settlers with the Chacon surname.
As the Spanish Empire expanded, the Chacon surname spread to other parts of the world, including the Americas. In the 16th century, Juan Chacon was a Spanish explorer who accompanied Hernán Cortés on his expedition to Mexico and participated in the conquest of the Aztec Empire.
Another notable figure was Alonso Chacon, a 16th-century Spanish historian and writer who lived from 1530 to 1599. He authored several works on Spanish history and literature.
Over the centuries, various spellings of the surname have emerged, such as Chacón, Xacón, and Xacón de la Cámara, reflecting regional variations and linguistic influences.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Chacon
Among Census respondents with the surname Chacon, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.9%. The next largest groups are White (7.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Chacon 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 Chacon surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino90.9% · 26,190
- White7.1% · 2,053
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 165
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 156
- Black or African American0.4% · 125
- Two or more races0.4% · 117
Timeline
Historical Census data for Chacon
Chacon 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
#1,255
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 27,982
+6,829 bearers (+32.3%)
Per 100,000 9.49
Rank movement Up 304 places
2020
#1,194
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 28,806
+824 bearers (+2.9%)
Per 100,000 9.64
Rank movement Up 61 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,559 | 21,153 | 7.84 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,255 | 27,982 | 9.49 | +6,829 bearers (+32.3%) | Up 304 places |
| 2020 | #1,194 | 28,806 | 9.64 | +824 bearers (+2.9%) | Up 61 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 Chacon 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 | #1,255 | #1,194 | 4.9% |
| Count | 27,982 | 28,806 | 2.9% |
| Per 100K | 9.49 | 9.64 | 1.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Chacon bearers went from 27,982 to 28,806 (+2.9% change). The surname moved up 61 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,255 to #1,194.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Chacon
FAQ
Chacon surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Chacon?
Name Census estimates that about 33,033 living Americans carry the surname Chacon. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 10,376 residents.
How common is Chacon?
Chacon ranks #1,194 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 9.64 per 100,000 residents, which is about 10 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 28,806 people with the surname Chacon. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (33,033), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 9.64 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 9.64 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 10 of them to have the surname Chacon.
Has Chacon become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Chacon went from 27,982 recorded bearers to 28,806. That is an increase of 824 (+2.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #1,255 to #1,194.
What does the Census say about the background of Chacon?
Among Census respondents with the surname Chacon, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.9%. The next largest groups are White (7.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.6%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Chacon in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.9% (26,190 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Chacon appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (90.9%), White (7.1%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.6%). 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 Chacon (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 Chacon mean?
A Spanish habitational surname referring to someone from any of the various places named Chacón, meaning "field of thistles." 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 Chacon (9.64 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 people share the surname Chacon?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.