The Chavez surname
In the 2010 U.S. Census, 250,898 people carried this name — #83 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 1,180 people counted. That is up 35% from 185,865 in 2000.
What the name means
The meaning of the Chavez surname
From Spanish Chávez, variant of Chaves, from Galician Chaves (“Chaves in Portugal and its castle”).
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Chavez» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.
In Argentina’s national register
At least 81,723 people named Chavez live in Argentina.
RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Buenos Aires Province.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they live today
RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.
In Switzerland’s population statistics
336 people named Chavez live in Switzerland.
They live in 12 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Geneva.
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/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.
In France’s civil register
France’s register of deaths holds 31 people named Chavez.
9 of them were born outside France. Those born in France came from 7 départements, most often Alpes-de-Haute-Provence.
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 the Nordic population registers
94 people named Chavez is counted in Sweden.
Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published.
Counted, by country
Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown).
In print
Chavez in American newspapers,
1910.
Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 41,973 pages in all carry the name.
In print
Chavez in Australian newspapers,
1880s–1990s.
128 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Chavez. The most, 44, date from the 1930s. The Australian Capital Territory has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in the Northern Territory, at 116.2 times its expected share.
Articles, by state
Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Chavez.
Who carried it
People named Chavez,
with a public archive behind them.
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Julian A. Chavez 1808–1879 · politician -
Jorge Chávez 1887–1910 · engineer -
Jorge Chávez 1887–1910 · engineer
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Frank Chavez d. 1967 · mobster
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Fabian Chavez 1879–1966
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Ninita Chavez 1887–
Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.
In the public record
People named Chavez,
in the records of 3 countries.
Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.
United States6,926 records
- U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 4,502
- U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 1,382
- U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 968
- New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 24
- U.S. service members who died in the Korean War 19
- U.S. service members who died in the Vietnam War 18
- New York State death index (outside NYC), 1957–2001 8
- Sacramento County historic burials 3
- Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 2
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Example: U.S. war memorial War record Rafael Albert ChavezBorn 1947; from El Paso, Texas. U.S. Army, utility/observation helicopter pilot; died in an accident 1970 in Thua Thien, South Vietnam. Buried at Fort Bliss National Cemetery, Texas.
U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) -
Example: U.S. registration card, 1942 Military record Roy M. ChavezBorn 1921 in Kansas. Enlisted 1944 at Fort Leavenworth; driver from Kingman County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1968, buried at Fort Leavenworth National Cemetery, Kansas.
U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) -
Example: passenger manifest, 1903 Passenger record Jagues ChavezArrived at New York in 1865 aboard the Hermann from Havre, aged 25; weaver. From Switzerland; bound for Boston.
U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)
Showing 3 of 6,926 records for Chavez in the United States.
Counts: U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).
France8 records
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Example: French death register, 1930 Death record Sunny Eileen Marguerite ChavezBorn 1915 in Chile; died 1994 in Draveil (Essonne).
Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte) -
Example: French death register, 1930 Death record Taeae Georgino Armand ChavezBorn 1965 in Pirae; died 2001 in Nice (Alpes-Maritimes).
Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte) -
Example: French death register, 1930 Death record Germaine ChavezBorn 1900 in Paris; died 1976 in Compiègne (Oise).
Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
Showing 3 of 8 records for Chavez in France.
Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).
Canada2 records
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Example: Canadian cemetery Burial record Victorio Mendros ChavezDied 1989; buried at Brookside Cemetery, Winnipeg, Manitoba.
City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. -
Example: Canadian cemetery Burial record Gloria Almine ChavezDied 1982; buried at Brookside Cemetery, Winnipeg, Manitoba.
City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg.
Counts: City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0).
Nearby in the index
Surnames next to Chavez.
- Chavarria 18,492 · U.S. census
- Chavas 107 · U.S. census
- Chave 245 · U.S. census
- Chavel 113 · U.S. census
- Chaves 8,137 · U.S. census
- Chavey 126 · U.S. census
- Chavin 116 · U.S. census
- Chavira 8,573 · U.S. census
- Chavis 14,844 · U.S. census
- Chay 1,212 · U.S. census
- Chea 4,492 · U.S. census
- Cheatham 12,852 · U.S. census
When the index is not enough
This page says where Chavez 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.