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Chau Family History

Chau Surname Meaning

Chinese: Cantonese form of the surname 鄒 see Zou. Chinese: alternative Mandarin form of the surnames 巢 and 晁 see Chao 1 and Chinese: Cantonese form of the surname 周 see Zhou.

Chinese: alternative Mandarin form of the surnames 趙 and 招 see Zhao 1 and Chinese: Cantonese form of the surname 秋 see Qiu 5.

Chinese: alternative Cantonese form of the surname 仇 see Qiu 7: Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 曹 possibly based on its Hakka pronunciation see Cao 8.

Vietnamese (Châu): from the Chinese surname 周 see Zhou.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


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Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

Where is the Chau family from?

You can see how Chau families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Chau family name was found in the USA, the UK, and Canada between 1840 and 1920. The most Chau families were found in USA in 1920. In 1891 there were 4 Chau families living in Warwickshire. This was 100% of all the recorded Chau's in United Kingdom. Warwickshire had the highest population of Chau families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Chau surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
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What did your Chau ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Butcher and Teacher were the top reported jobs for men and women in the USA named Chau. 25% of Chau men worked as a Butcher and 60% of Chau women worked as a Teacher. Some less common occupations for Americans named Chau were Cook and Stenographer.

View Census Data for Chau | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

United States shown, England data unavailable

Top Male Occupations In 1940

  • Butcher
    25%
  • Carpenter
    25%
  • Laborer
    25%
  • Cook
    25%

Top Female Occupations In 1940

  • Teacher
    60%
  • Stenographer
    40%

What Chau family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 1,000 census records available for the last name Chau. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Chau census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Chau

Passenger Lists

There are 7,000 immigration records available for the last name Chau. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the UK, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Chau immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 1,000 military records available for the last name Chau. For the veterans among your Chau ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Chau military records

You've only scratched the surface of Chau family history

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What is the average Chau lifespan?

Between 1966 and 2004, in the United States, Chau life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1972, and highest in 1975. The average life expectancy for Chau in 1966 was 76, and 73 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Chau

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Chau ancestors lived in harsh conditions. A short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in your family. The SSDI is a searchable database of more than 70 million names. You can find birthdates, death dates, addresses and more.

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