The Chee surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 4,973 people carried this name — #6,784 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 59,200 people counted. That is up 11% from 4,477 in 2000.

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Where the name comes from

The origin of the Chee surname

Borrowed from Navajo Chee, Hokkien 徐 (Chhî), Cantonese 朱 (zyu1), etc.

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Chee» (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 37 people named Chee 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.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Buenos Aires Province 37

RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.

In Switzerland’s population statistics

26 people named Chee live in Switzerland.

They live in 5 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Zurich.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Zurich 7
Aargau 6
St. Gallen 5
Vaud 5
Geneva 3

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 print

Chee in American newspapers,
1900.

Newspaper page from The Denison Review carrying the name Chee
The Denison Review 1900-07-24

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain.

In print

Chee in Australian newspapers,
1840s–2000s.

1,863 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Chee. The most, 331, date from the 1900s. New South Wales 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 15.3 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 764
Victoria 348
Queensland 285
Western Australia 160
South Australia 140
Tasmania 53
Northern Territory 36
ACT (Canberra) 27

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Chee.

Who carried it

People named Chee,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Robert Chee
    Robert Chee 1937–1972 · painter
  • Robert Chee
    Robert Chee 1937–1971 · painter
  • Chee Choon Keng 1915– · badminton player
  • Chee Choon Wah 1916– · badminton player
  • Alice Betone Chee 1916–2001
  • Benjamin Chee Chee 1944–1977 · painter

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 Chee,
in the records of 7 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 States461 records

461 records of the Chee name in the United States
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 329
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 58
  • Other U.S. records 74
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Mark Chee

    Born 1914 in Arizona. Enlisted 1942 at Santa Fe, New Mexico; jeweler from San Juan County, New Mexico. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1981, buried at Santa Fe National Cemetery, New Mexico.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Joseph Chee

    Arrived at New York in 1870 aboard the Java from Liverpool, aged 38; merchant. From England.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)
  3. A U.S. Army record of death and interment, Camp Nelson, Kentucky, 1864
    Example: U.S. burial record, 1864
    Burial record David Chee

    U.S. Army veteran of the Vietnam War. Born 1948, died 1974; buried at Long Island National Cemetery, New York.

    U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)

Showing 3 of 461 records for Chee 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) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Record of death and interment, Camp Nelson, Kentucky, 1864, U.S. National Archives (public domain).

Australia29 records

29 records of the Chee name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 10
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 8
  • Other Australian records 11
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Civil record Willie Chee

    Naturalised in Tasmania in 1898; miner of Branxholm, born in Canton, China.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record William Chee

    Retired laundryman of Carlton, Victoria; died 1962.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Jas Chee

    Arrived in Victoria in 1911 aboard the Empire, aged 61.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 29 records for Chee in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Canada27 records

27 records of the Chee name in Canada
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 16
  • City of Calgary cemetery records 6
  • Other Canadian records 5
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Hang Chee

    Buried in 1971 at Chinese Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 81.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Yuk Hing Chee

    Died 1935; buried at Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver, British Columbia.

    City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver.
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Leung Fok Chee

    Died 1942 in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.

Showing 3 of 27 records for Chee in Canada.

Counts: City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

France9 records

9 records of the Chee name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Gustave Chee

    Born 1906 in Amnéville; died 1977 in Marange-Silvange (Moselle).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Berthe Chee

    Born 1910 in Keskastel; died 1986 in Sarre-Union (Bas-Rhin).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  3. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Charles Chee

    Born 1898 in Sarralbe; died 1977 in Amnéville (Moselle).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 3 of 9 records for Chee 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).

Germany3 records

3 records of the Chee name in Germany Germany's First World War casualty lists, 1914–1919
  1. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Georg Chee

    From Kerskastel, Zabern. Reported wounded in the Prussian casualty list of 13 December 1915 (Infantry Regiment No. 137).

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)
  2. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Karl Chee

    From Saaralben, Forbach. Reported missing in the Prussian casualty list of 9 January 1919 (Infantry Regiment No. 419).

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)
  3. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Ernst Chee

    From Colmar, Elsaß. Reported dead in the Württemberg casualty list of 2 September 1919.

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)

Counts: Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Deutsche Verlustlisten, Prussian list 1116, 18 April 1918 (scan via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0).

New Zealand2 records

2 records of the Chee name in New Zealand Christchurch City cemetery records
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Shook Wah Chee

    Died 1973, aged 65; buried at Ruru Lawn, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Ng Hong Chee

    Died 1979, aged 78; buried at Ruru Lawn, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Netherlands2 records

2 records of the Chee name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch population registers 1
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 1
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Jan Chee

    Buried in 1756 in Rotterdam.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Rotterdam (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Population register Kin Tor Chee

    In a population register.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Rotterdam (CC BY 4.0)

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Chee.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Chee 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.

See the Chee volume
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