boys' name ★ peaked 2022

Chaim

Meaning A male given name from Hebrew Gender Boy Rank 2025 #666 Trend ↑ Rising 23%

A male given name from Hebrew.

Rank 2025
#666
among boys · ↑16 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
411
named Chaim · +3% vs 2024
How common
1 in 4,156
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2022
462 babies
All-time total
12,078
#1,081 all-time among boys
First recorded
1942
in Social Security records

Chaim popularity over time

12,078 babies have been named Chaim since 1942, 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
0.080.150.230.318801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
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 – – – – – –
1920s – – – – – –
1930s – – – – – –
1940s – 66 66 7 – #1,830
1950s – 354 354 35 +436% #977
1960s – 361 361 36 +2% #966
1970s – 756 756 76 +109% #869
1980s 6 1,067 1,073 107 +42% #809
1990s – 1,514 1,514 151 +41% #801
2000s – 2,260 2,260 226 +49% #787
2010s – 3,209 3,209 321 +42% #699
2020s (to 2025) – 2,485 2,485 414 +29% #607

Where Chaim 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 427 0.25 outside top 500
2027 440 0.26 outside top 500
2028 452 0.26 outside top 500
2029 463 0.27 outside top 500
2030 472 0.28 outside top 500

Where Chaim is most popular

Boys named Chaim per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.243 per 1,000. Strongest in New Jersey, New York, and Maryland.

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 Chaim 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
New Jersey 675 3.35 +1280%
New York 1,212 2.80 +1052%
Maryland 27 0.226 -7%
Connecticut 11 0.162 -33%
Illinois 23 0.090 -63%
Ohio 16 0.060 -75%
Florida 21 0.044 -82%
Michigan 6 0.029 -88%
Pennsylvania 7 0.026 -89%
California 12 0.013 -95%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Arizona – – –
Colorado – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Georgia – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Indiana – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Louisiana – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maine – – –
Minnesota – – –
Missouri – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Carolina – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Oregon – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Tennessee – – –
Texas – – –
Utah – – –
Virginia – – –
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 Chaim

Chaim is uncommon for boys in the United States, ranked #666 in 2025 with 411 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1942, 12,078 American babies have been named Chaim. Its peak came in 2022, when 462 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2020s.

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 Chaim stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Chaim?

The median living Chaim is about 16 years old; half are between 7 and 31. An estimated 12 thousand people named Chaim are alive in the United States today.

median 16 020406080100

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

Chaim 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 – – 411 #666
2024 – – 399 #682
2023 – – 444 #626
2022 – – 462 #607
2021 – – 383 #694
2020 – – 386 #673
2019 – – 360 #699
2018 – – 314 #751
2017 – – 347 #706
2016 – – 326 #749
2015 – – 347 #715
2014 – – 291 #790
2013 – – 341 #700
2012 – – 339 #701
2011 – – 299 #757
2010 – – 245 #859
2009 – – 270 #818
2008 – – 273 #804
2007 – – 275 #787
2006 – – 237 #847
2005 – – 239 #803
2004 – – 213 #836
2003 – – 213 #823
2002 – – 184 #886
2001 – – 174 #902
2000 – – 182 #870
1995 – – 130 #972
1990 – – 132 #893
1985 6 #9,475 109 #867
1980 – – 69 #1,090
1975 – – 76 #939
1970 – – 54 #1,117
1965 – – 25 #1,565
1960 – – 62 #966
1955 – – 29 #1,422
1950 – – 17 #1,828
1945 – – 5 #3,395
1940 – – – –
1935 – – – –
1930 – – – –
1925 – – – –
1920 – – – –
1915 – – – –
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Chaim

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

  1. 1 Chaim Topol Chaim Topol Israeli actor (1935–2023) Contemporary
  2. 2 Chaim Herzog Chaim Herzog President of Israel from 1983 to 1993 1918–1997 · Contemporary
  3. 3 Chaim Weizmann Chaim Weizmann Israeli statesman and British chemist (1874–1952) 19th century
  4. 4 Chaim Rumkowski Chaim Rumkowski Head of Judenrat in Lodz Ghetto 1877–1944 · 19th century
  5. 5 Chaim Potok Chaim Potok American author and rabbi (1929–2002) Contemporary
  6. 6 Chaim Soutine Chaim Soutine French, Jewish Belarusian painter (1893–1943) 19th century

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Chaim?

The median living Chaim is about 16 years old. Half of all living Chaims are between 7 and 31 years old.

How many people named Chaim are alive today?

An estimated 12 thousand people named Chaim are alive in the United States, based on 12,078 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Chaim mean?

A male given name from Hebrew.

How popular is the name Chaim in 2025?

Chaim ranked #666 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 411 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Chaim?

12,078 babies have been named Chaim in the United States since 1942, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Chaim most popular?

Chaim peaked in 2022, when 462 newborns received the name.

Is Chaim a boy or girl name?

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

Is the name Chaim rising or falling?

Chaim is on the rise, noticeably more popular now than a decade ago.

Will Chaim become more popular?

Chaim is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 472 boys named Chaim 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 Chaim?

Well-known people named Chaim include Chaim Topol (actor), Chaim Herzog (diplomat), Chaim Weizmann (politician).

Names like Chaim

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

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