2000
#218
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 124,614
First available Census row
Per 100,000 46.19
Common Last name
Chapman
An occupational surname referring to a trader or merchant, often dealing in goods transported by horse and wagon.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 140,585 Americans carry the last name Chapman. That puts it at #249 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 41.02 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,438 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Chapman 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Chapman with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
141K
1 in 2,438
Census rank
#249
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
41.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
123K
common in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 122,597 bearers of the surname Chapman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 41.02 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 249th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Chapman, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.7%. The next largest groups are Black (14.2%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Chapman
The surname Chapman originated in England, deriving from the Old English word "ceapmann" which means a merchant or trader. It first appeared during the Anglo-Saxon period, predating the Norman Conquest of 1066. The name was concentrated in areas with thriving markets and ports, particularly in the south and east of England.
One of the earliest known records of the name is found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which lists a few individuals with the name Chapeman or Chepman. These were likely merchants or peddlers who traveled from town to town selling their wares. As the name grew more prevalent, various spellings emerged such as Chepman, Chapeman, and Chipman.
In the 13th century, records show a Richard le Chapmon from Oxfordshire in 1273. The "le" prefix was commonly used to denote one's occupation or place of origin. Around the same time, a John Chapmon is recorded in the Hundred Rolls of Huntingdonshire in 1279.
Notable Chapman families established themselves in Kent, Essex, and Norfolk, with some branches eventually settling in Yorkshire and Lancashire. The name was also found in Scotland, where it may have derived from the Old English or the Middle Scots word "chappyn" meaning to trade or barter.
One of the earliest known Scottish references is to a Robert Chepman, who was a wealthy merchant and the first printer in Scotland. He established a printing press in Edinburgh around 1508 and printed several important works, including a collection of poetry known as the Knightly Tale.
Another prominent figure was George Chapman (c.1559-1634), an English Renaissance playwright, poet, and translator. He is best known for his translations of Homer's Iliad and Odyssey into English verse, which were highly influential and helped establish Chapman's reputation as one of the greatest English poets of his era.
In the 17th century, Edward Chapman (1616-1678) was an English Catholic priest and scholar who became the President of the English College in Douai, France. He was a renowned theologian and wrote several works on philosophy and theology.
The name also has connections to the American colonies, with several Chapman families emigrating from England in the 17th and 18th centuries. One notable figure was John Chapman (1774-1845), better known as Johnny Appleseed, who was an American nurseryman and missionary credited with introducing apple trees to large parts of the American frontier.
Another prominent American was Maria Weston Chapman (1806-1885), an influential abolitionist and women's rights activist from Massachusetts. She was a key figure in the American Anti-Slavery Society and worked tirelessly to end slavery and promote equal rights.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Chapman
Among Census respondents with the surname Chapman, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.7%. The next largest groups are Black (14.2%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Chapman 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 Chapman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White76.7% · 94,037
- Black or African American14.2% · 17,353
- Two or more races4.1% · 5,061
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 4,362
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 914
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 870
Timeline
Historical Census data for Chapman
Chapman 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
#236
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 127,939
+3,325 bearers (+2.7%)
Per 100,000 43.37
Rank movement Down 18 places
2020
#249
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 122,597
-5,342 bearers (-4.2%)
Per 100,000 41.02
Rank movement Down 13 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #218 | 124,614 | 46.19 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #236 | 127,939 | 43.37 | +3,325 bearers (+2.7%) | Down 18 places |
| 2020 | #249 | 122,597 | 41.02 | -5,342 bearers (-4.2%) | Down 13 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 Chapman 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 | #236 | #249 | -5.5% |
| Count | 127,939 | 122,597 | -4.2% |
| Per 100K | 43.37 | 41.02 | -5.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Chapman bearers went from 127,939 to 122,597 (-4.2% change). The surname moved down 13 positions in the national ranking, going from #236 to #249.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Chapman
FAQ
Chapman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Chapman?
Name Census estimates that about 140,585 living Americans carry the surname Chapman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,438 residents.
How common is Chapman?
Chapman ranks #249 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Common." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 41.02 per 100,000 residents, which is about 41 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 122,597 people with the surname Chapman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (140,585), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 41.02 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 41.02 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 41 of them to have the surname Chapman.
Has Chapman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Chapman went from 127,939 recorded bearers to 122,597. That is a decrease of 5,342 (-4.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #236 to #249.
What does the Census say about the background of Chapman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Chapman, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.7%. The next largest groups are Black (14.2%) and Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Chapman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.7% (94,037 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Chapman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (76.7%), Black (14.2%), Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Chapman (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 Chapman mean?
An occupational surname referring to a trader or merchant, often dealing in goods transported by horse and wagon. 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 Chapman (41.02 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 Americans have the surname Chapman?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.