2000
#21,727
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,117
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.41
Rare Last name
Cheadle
A place name referring to someone from Cheadle in Cheshire or Staffordshire, England.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,451 Americans carry the last name Cheadle. That puts it at #21,117 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.42 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 236,219 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cheadle 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 Cheadle with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
1.5K
1 in 236,219
Census rank
#21,117
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,265 bearers of the surname Cheadle in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.42 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 21117th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cheadle, the largest self-reported group is White at 61.3%. The next largest groups are Black (24.8%) and Two or More Races (8.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cheadle
The surname Cheadle originated in England, likely derived from the place name Cheadle, which is found in various locations across the country, including Cheshire, Staffordshire, and Derbyshire. The name is believed to have its roots in the Old English words "cēde," meaning "wood," and "hyll," meaning "hill," suggesting it referred to a wooded hill or a settlement near such a geographic feature.
One of the earliest recorded references to the surname Cheadle can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which documented landholders and their properties throughout England after the Norman Conquest. The name appears in various spellings, such as Chedele and Chedull, reflecting the evolution of the language and local pronunciations.
In the 13th century, records show a William de Chedele, who was a prominent landowner in Cheshire. The "de" prefix indicated his association with the place name Cheadle, a common practice during that era.
The Cheadle family played a significant role in the history of Staffordshire, where they held lands and positions of influence. Sir John Cheadle, born around 1420, was a notable member of this branch and served as the Sheriff of Staffordshire in 1463.
During the 16th century, the Cheadle name gained prominence in Derbyshire, with Sir Robert Cheadle, born in 1516, becoming a prominent figure in the county. He served as the High Sheriff of Derbyshire in 1558 and was knighted by Queen Elizabeth I.
Another notable bearer of the Cheadle surname was Benjamin Cheadle, a 17th-century English writer and philosopher. He authored several works on religion and morality, including "The Immutable Morality" published in 1658.
In the 19th century, Joseph Cheadle, born in 1835, was an English explorer and writer. He is best known for his book "The North-West Passage by Land," which documented his expedition across Canada in search of a land route connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
Over the centuries, the Cheadle surname has been associated with various places, reflecting the mobility of families and individuals. Some examples include Cheadle Hulme in Greater Manchester, Cheadle Heath in Stockport, and Cheadle Town in Staffordshire.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cheadle
Among Census respondents with the surname Cheadle, the largest self-reported group is White at 61.3%. The next largest groups are Black (24.8%) and Two or More Races (8.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Cheadle 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 Cheadle surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White61.3% · 775
- Black or African American24.8% · 314
- Two or more races8.3% · 105
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 48
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 11
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cheadle
Cheadle 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
#19,945
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,345
+228 bearers (+20.4%)
Per 100,000 0.46
Rank movement Up 1,782 places
2020
#21,117
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,265
-80 bearers (-5.9%)
Per 100,000 0.42
Rank movement Down 1,172 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #21,727 | 1,117 | 0.41 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #19,945 | 1,345 | 0.46 | +228 bearers (+20.4%) | Up 1,782 places |
| 2020 | #21,117 | 1,265 | 0.42 | -80 bearers (-5.9%) | Down 1,172 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 Cheadle 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 | #19,945 | #21,117 | -5.9% |
| Count | 1,345 | 1,265 | -5.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.46 | 0.42 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cheadle bearers went from 1,345 to 1,265 (-5.9% change). The surname moved down 1,172 positions in the national ranking, going from #19,945 to #21,117.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Cheadle
FAQ
Cheadle surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cheadle?
Name Census estimates that about 1,451 living Americans carry the surname Cheadle. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 236,219 residents.
How common is Cheadle?
Cheadle ranks #21,117 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.42 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 1,265 people with the surname Cheadle. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,451), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.42 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.42 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 Cheadle.
Has Cheadle become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cheadle went from 1,345 recorded bearers to 1,265. That is a decrease of 80 (-5.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #19,945 to #21,117.
What does the Census say about the background of Cheadle?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cheadle, the largest self-reported group is White at 61.3%. The next largest groups are Black (24.8%) and Two or More Races (8.3%). 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 Cheadle in the 2020 Census, accounting for 61.3% (775 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cheadle appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (61.3%), Black (24.8%), Two or More Races (8.3%). 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 Cheadle (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 Cheadle mean?
A place name referring to someone from Cheadle in Cheshire or Staffordshire, England. 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 Cheadle (0.42 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 Cheadle?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.