Explore the Family Name Chell

The meaning of Chell

English (Staffordshire): from an unrecorded Middle English male or female personal name Chell(e) or Chele, Old English Cēolla, Cēol, or Cēola, short forms of names beginning with Cēol- ‘ship’, such as Cēolbeorht (male) and Cēolflǣd (female). Alternatively, perhaps a nickname from Middle English chele, chile (Old English cīele, cēle, cȳle) ‘cold, lacking sympathy’. Compare Frost.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Chell in the United States?

According to the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Chell has seen a decrease in popularity between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it held rank 41,924 and decreased to rank 49,268 by 2010, representing a decline of approximately 17.52%. The total count of individuals bearing this surname also fell from 488 to 427 during this period, marking a drop of 12.5%. Consequently, the proportion of people named Chell per 100,000 population also declined by 22.22%, from 0.18 in 2000 to 0.14 in 2010.

	2000	2010	Change
Rank	#41,924	#49,268	-17.52%
Count	488	427	-12.5%
Proportion per 100k	0.18	0.14	-22.22%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Chell

In terms of ethnic identity, data from the Decennial U.S. Census reveals some shifts among those with the surname Chell over the decade. In 2000, about 93.85% identified as White; however, by 2010, this number decreased slightly to 92.27%. Meanwhile, the Hispanic portion rose significantly by 87.80%, from 2.87% in 2000 to 5.39% in 2010. Those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander and those reporting two or more races both dropped to zero in 2010 from 1.02% and 1.23% respectively in 2000. No changes were observed for those identifying as Black or American Indian and Alaskan Native.

	2000	2010	Change
White	93.85%	92.27%	-1.68%
Hispanic	2.87%	5.39%	87.8%
Asian/Pacific Islander	1.02%	0%	0%
Two or More Races	1.23%	0%	0%
Black	0%	0%	0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native	0%	0%	0%