2000
#6,692
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,655
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.73
Rare Last name
Chiles
An English occupational surname for a maker or seller of chile peppers or spices.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,346 Americans carry the last name Chiles. That puts it at #6,943 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.56 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 64,114 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Chiles 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 Chiles with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.3K
1 in 64,114
Census rank
#6,943
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,662 bearers of the surname Chiles in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.56 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6943rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Chiles, the largest self-reported group is White at 57.9%. The next largest groups are Black (32.0%) and Two or More Races (5.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Chiles
The surname Chiles has its origins in Spain, where it is derived from the Spanish word "chile," which means "chili pepper." The name likely originated in the 16th or 17th century, when the chili pepper was first introduced to Europe from the Americas.
In Spain, the name Chiles was often associated with individuals who cultivated or traded in chili peppers. The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in various documents from the 16th and 17th centuries, such as parish records and municipal archives.
One notable individual bearing the surname Chiles was Pedro Chiles, a Spanish explorer and navigator who participated in several expeditions to the Americas in the late 16th century. Another early record of the name is found in the Archivo General de Indias, a collection of historical documents related to the Spanish Empire in the Americas, where a certain Juan Chiles is mentioned as a merchant operating in Mexico in the early 17th century.
As Spanish exploration and colonization spread across the Americas, the surname Chiles likely traveled with individuals who settled in various regions. For instance, there are records of individuals with the surname Chiles living in areas of present-day Chile and Peru in the 17th and 18th centuries.
In the United States, the surname Chiles can be traced back to the 18th century, when Spanish settlers and immigrants began arriving in regions like Texas, New Mexico, and California. One notable figure with this surname was John Chiles (1761-1838), a pioneer and explorer who was among the first English-speaking settlers in the Missouri Territory.
Other individuals bearing the surname Chiles who have made significant contributions include Benjamin Chiles (1805-1886), a prominent lawyer and judge in Missouri during the 19th century, and Abram Chiles (1825-1905), a Baptist minister and educator who played a crucial role in establishing several educational institutions in Texas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Chiles
Among Census respondents with the surname Chiles, the largest self-reported group is White at 57.9%. The next largest groups are Black (32.0%) and Two or More Races (5.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Chiles 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 Chiles surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White57.9% · 2,699
- Black or African American32.0% · 1,491
- Two or more races5.4% · 254
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 151
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 37
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 30
Timeline
Historical Census data for Chiles
Chiles 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
#6,831
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,936
+281 bearers (+6.0%)
Per 100,000 1.67
Rank movement Down 139 places
2020
#6,943
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,662
-274 bearers (-5.6%)
Per 100,000 1.56
Rank movement Down 112 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,692 | 4,655 | 1.73 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,831 | 4,936 | 1.67 | +281 bearers (+6.0%) | Down 139 places |
| 2020 | #6,943 | 4,662 | 1.56 | -274 bearers (-5.6%) | Down 112 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 Chiles 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 | #6,831 | #6,943 | -1.6% |
| Count | 4,936 | 4,662 | -5.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.67 | 1.56 | -6.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Chiles bearers went from 4,936 to 4,662 (-5.6% change). The surname moved down 112 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,831 to #6,943.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Chiles
FAQ
Chiles surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Chiles?
Name Census estimates that about 5,346 living Americans carry the surname Chiles. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 64,114 residents.
How common is Chiles?
Chiles ranks #6,943 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.56 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,662 people with the surname Chiles. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,346), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.56 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.56 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Chiles.
Has Chiles become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Chiles went from 4,936 recorded bearers to 4,662. That is a decrease of 274 (-5.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,831 to #6,943.
What does the Census say about the background of Chiles?
Among Census respondents with the surname Chiles, the largest self-reported group is White at 57.9%. The next largest groups are Black (32.0%) and Two or More Races (5.4%). 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 Chiles in the 2020 Census, accounting for 57.9% (2,699 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Chiles appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (57.9%), Black (32.0%), Two or More Races (5.4%). 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 Chiles (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 Chiles mean?
An English occupational surname for a maker or seller of chile peppers or spices. 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 Chiles (1.56 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 Chiles?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.