Explore the Family Name Chene

The meaning of Chene

1. French (Chêne): from Old French chesne ‘oak’ (from Late Latin caxinus), hence a topographic name denoting someone who lived near a conspicuous oak tree or in an oak wood, or a habitational name from (Le) Chêne, the name of several places in various parts of France. Compare Dechene and Duchene. 2. Altered form of French Chesne, a variant of 1 above or a habitational name from (Le) Chesne, the name of several places in the northern part of France. 3. English (of Norman origin): variant of Cheyne. Some characteristic forenames: French Alain, Andre, Armand, Jean Michel, Marcel, Pierre.

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

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

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Chene saw a slight decrease in popularity from 2000 to 2010. In 2000, it was ranked 68,973rd most popular name and fell to 71,678th in 2010, marking a 3.92% drop in ranking. However, the number of individuals carrying the surname increased by 2.26%, growing from 266 to 272. Despite this increase in count, the proportion per 100,000 individuals saw a decline of 10% over the same period.

20002010Change
Rank#68,973#71,678-3.92%
Count2662722.26%
Proportion per 100k0.10.09-10%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Chene

In terms of ethnicity, the Decennial U.S. Census showed some changes between 2000 and 2010. The majority of those with the Chene surname identified as White, comprising around 84% in 2000 and dropping slightly to about 83% in 2010. The second largest group identifying with this surname were the Asian/Pacific Islanders, making up 6.77% in 2000, but decreasing marginally to 6.62% in 2010. Interestingly, there was an emergence of Black ethnic identity within the Chene surname bearers, not present in 2000 but accounting for 2.21% in 2010. Additionally, the percentage of Hispanic identity holders saw a small rise of 4.26%. There was no change in the American Indian and Alaskan Native category, remaining at zero across both years.

20002010Change
White84.96%83.46%-1.77%
Asian/Pacific Islander6.77%6.62%-2.22%
Hispanic5.64%5.88%4.26%
Black0%2.21%0%
Two or More Races2.26%1.84%-18.58%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0%0%0%