boys' name ★ peaked 1972

Chad

Gender Boy Rank 2025 #1,701 Trend ↓ Falling 46%

From Middle English Chadde, from Old English Ċeadda, of obscure meaning; name of a seventh-century Anglo-Saxon saint, revived in the 20th century.

Rank 2025
#1,701
among boys · ↑109 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
96
named Chad · +7% vs 2024
How common
1 in 17,792
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1972
13,441 babies
All-time total
241,767
#164 all-time among boys
First recorded
1914
in Social Security records

Chad popularity over time

241,767 babies have been named Chad since 1914, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
2.557.51018801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – – – – – –
1890s – – – – – –
1900s – – – – – –
1910s – 50 50 5 – #1,995
1920s – 103 103 10 +106% #2,157
1930s – 157 157 16 +52% #1,457
1940s – 451 451 45 +187% #779
1950s – 1,837 1,837 184 +307% #477
1960s 50 15,902 15,952 1,595 +768% #69
1970s 564 113,534 114,098 11,410 +615% #25
1980s 380 69,051 69,431 6,943 -39% #39
1990s 39 27,112 27,151 2,715 -61% #85
2000s 6 8,516 8,522 852 -69% #236
2010s – 3,281 3,281 328 -61% #545
2020s (to 2025) – 734 734 122 -63% #1,218

Where Chad is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 87 0.05 outside top 500
2027 79 0.05 outside top 500
2028 73 0.04 outside top 500
2029 69 0.04 outside top 500
2030 65 0.04 outside top 500

Where Chad is most popular

Boys named Chad per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.068 per 1,000. Strongest in Louisiana, Pennsylvania, and Ohio.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Chad born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Louisiana 37 0.362 +435%
Pennsylvania 36 0.136 +101%
Ohio 34 0.128 +90%
Florida 48 0.101 +50%
Georgia 22 0.087 +28%
Virginia 14 0.074 +9%
New York 25 0.058 -15%
Texas 49 0.056 -18%
Maryland 5 0.042 -38%
Minnesota 5 0.041 -40%
Indiana 5 0.031 -54%
Michigan 6 0.029 -57%
North Carolina 5 0.020 -71%
California 13 0.014 -79%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Arizona – – –
Colorado – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Illinois – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maine – – –
Missouri – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Jersey – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Oregon – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Tennessee – – –
Utah – – –
Vermont – – –
Washington – – –
Wisconsin – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Chad

Chad is rare for boys in the United States, ranked #1,701 in 2025 with 96 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1914, 241,767 American babies have been named Chad. Its peak came in 1972, when 13,441 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1970s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Chad stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Chad?

The median living Chad is about 46 years old; half are between 39 and 52. An estimated 225 thousand people named Chad are alive in the United States today.

median 46 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Chad year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 – – 96 #1,701
2024 – – 90 #1,810
2023 – – 108 #1,611
2022 – – 132 #1,404
2021 – – 158 #1,218
2020 – – 150 #1,241
2019 – – 175 #1,118
2018 – – 241 #899
2017 – – 220 #948
2016 – – 291 #799
2015 – – 314 #760
2014 – – 346 #705
2013 – – 358 #674
2012 – – 434 #589
2011 – – 439 #570
2010 – – 463 #545
2009 – – 529 #509
2008 – – 613 #452
2007 – – 659 #431
2006 – – 799 #373
2005 – – 767 #377
2004 6 #14,522 828 #343
2003 – – 861 #334
2002 – – 928 #309
2001 – – 1,079 #283
2000 – – 1,453 #236
1995 5 #13,804 2,434 #144
1990 6 #11,648 4,351 #85
1985 50 #2,107 6,466 #57
1980 35 #2,659 10,142 #39
1975 63 #1,574 12,838 #27
1970 25 #2,787 6,628 #51
1965 – – 1,172 #209
1960 – – 255 #494
1955 – – 235 #477
1950 – – 66 #838
1945 – – 40 #1,007
1940 – – 23 #1,408
1935 – – 22 #1,457
1930 – – 8 #3,063
1925 – – 10 #2,782
1920 – – 10 #2,802
1915 – – 5 #3,916
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Chad

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Chad Michael Murray Chad Michael Murray American actor (born 1981) Contemporary
  2. 2 Chad Johnson Chad Johnson American gridiron football player (born 1978) Contemporary
  3. 3 Chad Kroeger Chad Kroeger Canadian rock musician (born 1974) Contemporary
  4. 4 Chad Gable Chad Gable American professional wrestler (born 1986) Contemporary
  5. 5 Chad Everett Chad Everett American actor (1937–2012) Contemporary
  6. 6 Chad Lowe American actor b. 1968 · Contemporary
  7. 7 Chad Stahelski Chad Stahelski American stuntman and film director b. 1968 · Contemporary
  8. 8 Chad Hurley Chad Hurley American businessman (born 1977) Contemporary
  9. 9 Chad Hugo Chad Hugo American musician (born 1974) Contemporary
  10. 10 Chad Allen Chad Allen American actor and psychologist b. 1974 · Contemporary
  11. 11 Chad Lindberg Chad Lindberg American actor (born 1976) Contemporary
  12. 12 Chad Gray Chad Gray American singer (born 1971) Contemporary
  13. 13 Chad Donella Canadian actor (born 1978) Contemporary
  14. 14 Chad le Clos Chad le Clos South African swimmer (born 1992) Contemporary
  15. 15 Chad of Mercia Chad of Mercia Bishop of York and Lichfield from 664 to 669 634–672 · Medieval
  16. 16 Chad Coleman Chad Coleman American actor (born 1967) b. 1974 · Contemporary
  17. 17 Chad Trujillo Chad Trujillo American astronomer (born 1973) Contemporary
  18. 18 Chad Hedrick Chad Hedrick American speed skater (born 1977) Contemporary
  19. 19 Chad Marshall Chad Marshall American soccer player (born 1984) Contemporary
  20. 20 Chad Deering American soccer player (born 1970) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Chad, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Chad?

The median living Chad is about 46 years old. Half of all living Chads are between 39 and 52 years old.

How many people named Chad are alive today?

An estimated 225 thousand people named Chad are alive in the United States, based on 241,767 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Chad mean?

From Middle English Chadde, from Old English Ċeadda, of obscure meaning; name of a seventh-century Anglo-Saxon saint, revived in the 20th century.

How popular is the name Chad in 2025?

Chad ranked #1,701 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 96 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Chad?

241,767 babies have been named Chad in the United States since 1914, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Chad most popular?

Chad peaked in 1972, when 13,441 newborns received the name.

Is Chad a boy or girl name?

Chad is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Chad rising or falling?

Chad is declining, less popular now than a decade ago.

Will Chad become more popular?

Chad is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 65 boys named Chad in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Chad?

Well-known people named Chad include Chad Michael Murray (actor), Chad Johnson (soccer player), Chad Kroeger (singer).

Names like Chad

Names that sound and feel close to Chad: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Chad with similar names → More names starting with C →