# Chen (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/chen/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

A surname from Chinese.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | Chinese |
| Type | not recorded |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 169,580 |
| US rank (2010) | 150 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 1,821 people |
| Change since 2000 | +61% (105,544 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | /t͡ʃɛn/, 1 syllable |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |

## Etymology

From Mandarin 陳／陈 (Chén). Doublet of Tan, Chan, and Tran.

## Who carries it

Share of people named Chen in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 1.4% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 0.3% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 0.5% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 96% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.0% |
| Two or more races | 1.6% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Chen in the United States, the People's Republic of China, Taiwan, China, Australia and Austria.

## People named Chen

- Chen Shui-bian, 10th and 11th President of Republic of China(Taiwan) (2000–2008)
- Nathan Chen, American figure skater (born 1999)
- Chen Hao, actress and singer
- Karen Chen, American figure skater
- Chen Szu-yuan, archer
- Peter Chen, American computer scientist
- Chen Weixing, Austrian table tennis player
- Ian Chen, American actor
- Chen Li-Ju, archer
- Tiger Chen, actor
- Tina Chen, American actress
- Chen Shi, 3rd century Shu Han state general

and 25 more on Wikidata.

## Similar surnames

Chan, Chaney, Chin, Cheney, Chun, Chinn, Chien, Chon, Chunn, Chino, Chain, China.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.