2000
#7,433
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,130
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.53
Rare Last name
Chick
An English occupational surname referring to a hatchling or young bird, derived from the Anglo-Saxon word "cicen."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,691 Americans carry the last name Chick. That puts it at #7,786 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.37 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 73,066 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Chick 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 Chick with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.7K
1 in 73,066
Census rank
#7,786
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,091 bearers of the surname Chick in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.37 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7786th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Chick, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.7%. The next largest groups are Black (4.4%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Chick
The surname Chick has its origins in England, dating back to the 12th century. The name is derived from the Old English word "cicce," meaning a young chicken or chick. It was likely initially used as a nickname for someone small or young, or perhaps as an occupational name for someone who raised or sold chickens.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1190, which mention a person named Robert Chick. The Hundred Rolls of 1273 also reference a William le Chick in Oxfordshire.
During the medieval period, the name appeared in various spellings, such as Chyke, Cheke, and Chike, reflecting the regional dialects and spelling variations of the time. The name was particularly prevalent in the southern counties of England, including Dorset, Somerset, and Devon.
In the 16th century, the name was associated with several notable individuals. Sir John Cheke (1514-1557) was a renowned scholar, tutor to King Edward VI, and the first Regius Professor of Greek at the University of Cambridge. Another prominent figure was Henry Cheke (c. 1548-1586), a Member of Parliament and landowner in Norfolk.
The Chick surname continued to be well-represented in historical records throughout the 17th and 18th centuries. Notable individuals include Sir Francis Chick (1667-1718), a British politician and Member of Parliament for Wallingford, and William Chick (1728-1807), a British naval officer who served during the American Revolutionary War.
In the 19th century, one of the most famous individuals with the surname was Sir John Chick (1842-1917), a British engineer and inventor who made significant contributions to the development of steam engines and marine propulsion systems.
Other notable figures with the Chick surname include Thomas Chick (1725-1808), an English farmer and landowner in Wiltshire, and George Chick (1794-1856), a British army officer who served in the Napoleonic Wars and later became a Member of Parliament.
The Chick surname has also been associated with various place names throughout England, such as Chickwell in Gloucestershire and Chicklade in Wiltshire, further reflecting the name's historical roots and geographical distribution.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Chick
Among Census respondents with the surname Chick, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.7%. The next largest groups are Black (4.4%) and Two or More Races (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Chick 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 Chick surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.7% · 3,546
- Black or African American4.4% · 182
- Two or more races3.7% · 151
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 120
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.6% · 67
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 25
Timeline
Historical Census data for Chick
Chick 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
#7,377
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,517
+387 bearers (+9.4%)
Per 100,000 1.53
Rank movement Up 56 places
2020
#7,786
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,091
-426 bearers (-9.4%)
Per 100,000 1.37
Rank movement Down 409 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,433 | 4,130 | 1.53 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,377 | 4,517 | 1.53 | +387 bearers (+9.4%) | Up 56 places |
| 2020 | #7,786 | 4,091 | 1.37 | -426 bearers (-9.4%) | Down 409 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 Chick 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 | #7,377 | #7,786 | -5.5% |
| Count | 4,517 | 4,091 | -9.4% |
| Per 100K | 1.53 | 1.37 | -10.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Chick bearers went from 4,517 to 4,091 (-9.4% change). The surname moved down 409 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,377 to #7,786.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Chick
FAQ
Chick surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Chick?
Name Census estimates that about 4,691 living Americans carry the surname Chick. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 73,066 residents.
How common is Chick?
Chick ranks #7,786 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.37 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,091 people with the surname Chick. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,691), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.37 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.37 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Chick.
Has Chick become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Chick went from 4,517 recorded bearers to 4,091. That is a decrease of 426 (-9.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,377 to #7,786.
What does the Census say about the background of Chick?
Among Census respondents with the surname Chick, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.7%. The next largest groups are Black (4.4%) and Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Chick in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.7% (3,546 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Chick appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.7%), Black (4.4%), Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Chick (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 Chick mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a hatchling or young bird, derived from the Anglo-Saxon word "cicen." 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 Chick (1.37 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 have the surname Chick?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.