2000
#41,382
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 496
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.18
Very Rare Last name
Chopin
A Polish surname derived from the personal name Chopin meaning "tree stump".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 802 Americans carry the last name Chopin. That puts it at #34,822 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.23 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 427,374 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Chopin 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
802
1 in 427,374
Census rank
#34,822
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
699
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 699 bearers of the surname Chopin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.23 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 34822nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Chopin, the largest self-reported group is White at 38.8%. The next largest groups are Black (31.6%) and Hispanic (25.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Chopin
The surname Chopin originated from Poland in the late 18th century. It is believed to be derived from the Polish word "chop," meaning a young man or lad. The name may also be related to the Polish word "chlopiec," meaning a boy or a peasant.
The earliest recorded use of the surname Chopin dates back to the late 1700s in the region of Mazovia, located in central Poland. The name was likely used to identify individuals from this area or those with ties to the region.
One of the most famous individuals with the surname Chopin is Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849), the renowned Polish composer and virtuoso pianist. He is considered one of the greatest composers of the Romantic era and is known for his piano works, including preludes, études, and nocturnes.
Another notable figure with the Chopin surname is Ludwika Chopin (1854-1924), a Polish writer and feminist activist. She was an advocate for women's rights and education and authored several novels and plays.
In the 20th century, Jerzy Chopin (1923-2018) was a Polish diplomat and historian. He served as the Polish ambassador to several countries and wrote extensively about Polish history and diplomacy.
The name Chopin has also been associated with other individuals, such as Kazimierz Chopin (1914-1991), a Polish film director, and Tadeusz Chopin (1918-2005), a Polish journalist and writer.
While the surname Chopin is most commonly found in Poland, it has also been used by individuals of Polish descent in other parts of the world, particularly in areas with significant Polish communities or immigration.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Chopin
Among Census respondents with the surname Chopin, the largest self-reported group is White at 38.8%. The next largest groups are Black (31.6%) and Hispanic (25.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Chopin 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 Chopin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White38.8% · 271
- Black or African American31.6% · 221
- Hispanic or Latino25.9% · 181
- Two or more races2.4% · 17
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Chopin
Chopin 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
#36,048
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 622
+126 bearers (+25.4%)
Per 100,000 0.21
Rank movement Up 5,334 places
2020
#34,822
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 699
+77 bearers (+12.4%)
Per 100,000 0.23
Rank movement Up 1,226 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #41,382 | 496 | 0.18 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #36,048 | 622 | 0.21 | +126 bearers (+25.4%) | Up 5,334 places |
| 2020 | #34,822 | 699 | 0.23 | +77 bearers (+12.4%) | Up 1,226 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 Chopin 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 | #36,048 | #34,822 | 3.4% |
| Count | 622 | 699 | 12.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.21 | 0.23 | 11.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Chopin bearers went from 622 to 699 (+12.4% change). The surname moved up 1,226 positions in the national ranking, going from #36,048 to #34,822.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Chopin
FAQ
Chopin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Chopin?
Name Census estimates that about 802 living Americans carry the surname Chopin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 427,374 residents.
How common is Chopin?
Chopin ranks #34,822 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.23 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 699 people with the surname Chopin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (802), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.23 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.23 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 Chopin.
Has Chopin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Chopin went from 622 recorded bearers to 699. That is an increase of 77 (+12.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #36,048 to #34,822.
What does the Census say about the background of Chopin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Chopin, the largest self-reported group is White at 38.8%. The next largest groups are Black (31.6%) and Hispanic (25.9%). 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 Chopin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 38.8% (271 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Chopin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (38.8%), Black (31.6%), Hispanic (25.9%). 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 Chopin (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 Chopin mean?
A Polish surname derived from the personal name Chopin meaning "tree stump". 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 Chopin (0.23 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 are called Chopin?
Find out how common the surname Chopin is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.