The Chester surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 15,066 people carried this name — #2,408 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 19,600 people counted. That is up 3% from 14,595 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Chester surname

An English habitational surname from Old English.

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Chester» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a local name, from where the family lived: ‘of Chester’.

An early record he cites: Petrus de Cestr’, Yorkshire, 1273 — Hundred Rolls.

His entry covers Chester and Chesters.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 176 · public domain.

In France’s civil register

France’s register of deaths holds 21 people named Chester.

9 of them were born outside France. Those born in France came from 2 départements, most often Paris.

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

Where they were born

Born outside France 9
Paris 10
Seine-Saint-Denis 2

Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.

Among the farmers of England and Wales, 1880s

Chester was found among the farmers of 2 counties.

It was most frequent in Leicestershire and Rutland: 17 in every 10,000 farmers there — about 1 in 588. Guppy counted the farmers listed in each county’s directory and recorded a name only where it reached about 7 in every 10,000; where it does not appear, it was rarer than that, not absent.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Per 10,000 farmers, by county

Leicestershire and Rutland 17
Shropshire 17

H. B. Guppy, «Homes of Family Names in Great Britain» (London, 1890), alphabetical list of English and Welsh names — public domain · farmers in Kelly’s Post Office Directories of the 1880s, per 10,000 farmers in each county.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

30 Chester families were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 160 people lived in those households, 5.3 to a family on average. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

Connecticut 12
North Carolina 6
Pennsylvania 5
Vermont 2
Rhode Island 2
Massachusetts 1
New York 1
Maryland 1

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 233 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Chester in American newspapers,
1897–1922.

Newspaper page from The Louisiana Populist carrying the name Chester
The Louisiana Populist 1897-06-11
Newspaper page from The Sea Coast Echo carrying the name Chester
The Sea Coast Echo 1897-07-17
Newspaper page from Great Falls Tribune carrying the name Chester
Great Falls Tribune 1922-04-28

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 16,627 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Chester in Australian newspapers,
1820s–2020s.

52,801 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Chester. The most, 7,248, date from the 1930s. Victoria 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 Western Australia, at 1.9 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

Victoria 12,309
New South Wales 11,295
Queensland 9,806
Western Australia 7,951
South Australia 6,475
Tasmania 4,247
ACT (Canberra) 374
Northern Territory 38

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

Who carried it

People named Chester,
with a public archive behind them.

  • William Chester d. 1558 · politician
  • Edward Chester d. 1577
  • unknown Chester d. 1749
  • Julia Maria Chester d. 1900
  • Dorothy Mary Chester d. 1976
  • Elizabeth Peyton d. 1692

Wikidata (CC0) · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Chester,
in the records of 8 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 States1,538 records

1,538 records of the Chester name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 543
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 399
  • Other U.S. records 596
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Hubert M. Chester

    Born 1921 in Georgia. Enlisted 1942 at Fort McPherson Atlanta; textile mill worker. U.S. Army Air Forces veteran of World War II; died 1988, buried at Cherokee Memorial Park, Canton, Georgia.

    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 Wolf Chester

    Arrived at New York in 1892 aboard the Arizona from Liverpool and Queenstown, aged 17; tailor. From Poland, Russia; bound for New York.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)
  3. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Alvin Chester

    Born 1943; from Window Rock, Arizona. U.S. Marine Corps, rifleman; died in an accident 1965 in Binh Dinh, South Vietnam.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)

Showing 3 of 1,538 records for Chester in the United States.

Counts: 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) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · New York State, Open NY (police and firefighter memorial rolls) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0). 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); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain).

Australia687 records

687 records of the Chester name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 290
  • Tasmanian Names Index 160
  • Other Australian records 237
  1. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Jane Mary Chester

    Died 1929 in Hospital, Queenstown, Tasmania. Will registered in Tasmania in 1929.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Thomas Chester

    Transported to New South Wales aboard the Asia, arriving 1825; ticket of leave 1844.

    Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Richard Chester

    Arrived in Victoria in 1852 aboard the Dinapore, aged 22; English.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 687 records for Chester in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Canada63 records

63 records of the Chester name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 15
  • City of Winnipeg cemetery records 13
  • Other Canadian records 35
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Jno Chester

    Came to Ontario in 1869 aboard the Midway, landing at Quebec, bound for Barrie, Ontario; English.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Leslie Chester

    Died 1995, aged 84; buried at Transcona Cemetery, Winnipeg, Manitoba.

    City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg.
  3. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Richard Chester

    Buried in 1966 at Queen's Park Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 61.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.

Showing 3 of 63 records for Chester in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0).

United Kingdom40 records

40 records of the Chester name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 31
  • St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 8
  • Stirling Council burial records 1
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Joseph Chester

    Buried in 1797 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 60.

    MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  2. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record J. E. Chester

    South Wales Borderers. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Sarah Chester

    Buried in 1849 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 70.

    MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Showing 3 of 40 records for Chester in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

Netherlands21 records

21 records of the Chester name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 16
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 3
  • Dutch population registers 2
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Leslie Chester

    Married in 1921 in 's-Gravenhage; "bankdirecteur".

    Open Archives, Haags Gemeentearchief (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Zijp A. Chester

    Died 1944 in Verlaat (Steenwijkerwold); born in Niet Bekend.

    Open Archives, Collectie Overijssel locatie Zwolle (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record William Chester

    Died 1833 in Rotterdam, aged 25.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Rotterdam (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 21 records for Chester in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

New Zealand12 records

12 records of the Chester name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 6
  • Marlborough District cemetery records 4
  • Thames-Coromandel District cemetery records 2
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record William Derek Chester

    Died 1983, aged 53; buried at Waimairi Cemetery, 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 Walter Arthur Chester

    Buried in 1942 at Shortland Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato, aged 75.

    Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Ruth Ruby Chester

    Died 1996, aged 71; buried at Fairhall Cemetery, Marlborough.

    Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 12 records for Chester in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0) · Thames-Coromandel District 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).

France10 records

10 records of the Chester 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 Denise Marie Chester

    Born 1901 in Issy-les-Moulineaux (Paris); died 1974 in Issy-les-Moulineaux (Hauts-de-Seine).

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

    Born 1960 in Great Britain; died 1998 in Orpierre (Hautes-Alpes).

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

    Born 1895 in Bondy (Paris); died 1979 in Bondy (Seine-Saint-Denis).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 3 of 10 records for Chester 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).

Norway1 record

1 record of the Chester name in Norway Norway's 1910 census
  1. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Census record Aase Chester

    Census of 1910: Lofotgaten, Kristiania; born 1908 in Kristiania.

    Arkivverket, Digitalarkivet, 1910 census (CC BY 3.0 NO)

Counts: Arkivverket, Digitalarkivet, 1910 census (CC BY 3.0 NO). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Chester.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Chester 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.

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