Explore the Family Name Chieffo

The meaning of Chieffo

Altered form Italian (Calabria) Chiefo, which is probably from a nickname, perhaps with sinister connotations, from ceffo ‘muzzle, snout, bestial face’ (from French chef ‘head’, from Latin caput). Some characteristic forenames: Italian Salvatore, Sal, Angelo, Egidio.

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

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

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Chieffo saw an increase in popularity between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, it was ranked 44,273rd most popular and by 2010, it had risen to the 42,511th position, marking a change of approximately 4 percent. The count of people carrying the Chieffo surname also increased from 458 to 510 during this period, signifying a growth rate of around 11 percent. However, the proportion per 100k remained constant at 0.17.

	2000	2010	Change
Rank	#44,273	#42,511	3.98%
Count	458	510	11.35%
Proportion per 100k	0.17	0.17	0%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Chieffo

Looking at the ethnic identity associated with the Chieffo surname, according to the Decennial U.S. Census, most holders of this last name identified as White in both 2000 and 2010, with a slight increase from 96.51% to 96.67%. Meanwhile, the percentage of those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander dropped from 1.09% in 2000 to none in 2010. Interestingly, the data for 2010 showed a new category emerge, with nearly 1% identifying as Two or more races. The percentage of those identifying as Hispanic barely changed, decreasing slightly from 1.97% in 2000 to 1.96% in 2010. There were no persons who identified as Black or American Indian/Alaskan Native in either year.

	2000	2010	Change
White	96.51%	96.67%	0.17%
Hispanic	1.97%	1.96%	-0.51%
Two or More Races	0%	0.98%	0%
Asian/Pacific Islander	1.09%	0%	0%
Black	0%	0%	0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native	0%	0%	0%