The Chau surname
In the 2000 U.S. Census, 13,238 people carried this name — #2,498 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 20,400 people counted.
In France’s civil register
France’s register of deaths holds 289 people named Chau.
Most of them — 233 — were born outside France. Those born in France came from 18 départements, most often Loiret.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they were born
Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.
In Switzerland’s population statistics
213 people named Chau live in Switzerland.
They live in 16 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Zurich.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they live today
Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.
In Belgium’s population register
At least 38 people named Chau live in Belgium.
Statbel only publishes a name in a municipality when five or more people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in West Flanders.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they live today
Statbel (Statistics Belgium), family names of the population by municipality, 1 January 2026 — CC BY 4.0.
In print
Chau in American newspapers,
1898–1922.
Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 110,320 pages in all carry the name.
Who carried it
People named Chau,
with a public archive behind them.
-
François Chau 1959– · actor -
Ed Chau 1961– · politician -
Raúl Antonio Chau Quispe 1967– · Catholic priest -
Frédéric Chau 1977– · screenwriter -
Chrissie Chau 1985– · actor
Wikidata and Wikimedia Commons (CC0) · 41 lives in all are documented under this name.
Nearby in the index
Surnames next to Chau.
- Chatel 305 · U.S. census
- Chatelain 1,476 · U.S. census
- Chatelle 184 · U.S. census
- Chatellier 162 · U.S. census
- Chater 149 · U.S. census
- Chatigny 195 · U.S. census
- Chaudhry 3,675 · U.S. census
- Chaumont 292 · U.S. census
- Chausse 558 · U.S. census
- Chaussee 468 · U.S. census
- Chauvet 188 · U.S. census
- Chauvette 250 · U.S. census
When the index is not enough
This page says where Chau is.
A volume says what happened to it.
Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.