girls' name ★ peaked 1992

Chelsea

Meaning chalk Gender Girl Rank 2025 #851 Trend ↓ Falling 33%

From Old English Ċealchȳþ, from cealc (“chalk”) +‎ hȳþ (“landing place”).

Rank 2025
#851
among girls · ↓64 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
319
named Chelsea · -11% vs 2024
How common
1 in 5,038
girls born in 2025
Peak year
1992
16,199 babies
All-time total
163,335
#246 all-time among girls
First recorded
1910
in Social Security records

Chelsea popularity over time

163,335 babies have been named Chelsea since 1910, 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
2.557.51018801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
GirlsBoys

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 24 25 49 5 – #2,472
1920s 25 11 36 4 -27% #3,926
1930s 15 5 20 2 -44% #4,310
1940s 5 5 10 1 -50% #4,728
1950s 31 5 36 4 +260% #4,731
1960s 292 – 292 29 +711% #702
1970s 3,485 26 3,511 351 +1102% #410
1980s 43,163 181 43,344 4,334 +1135% #27
1990s 84,805 164 84,969 8,497 +96% #15
2000s 18,024 18 18,042 1,804 -79% #140
2010s 10,602 11 10,613 1,061 -41% #222
2020s (to 2025) 2,413 – 2,413 402 -62% #635

Where Chelsea is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 girls (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 girls Implied rank
2026 297 0.18 outside top 500
2027 279 0.17 outside top 500
2028 264 0.16 outside top 500
2029 253 0.16 outside top 500
2030 243 0.15 outside top 500

Where Chelsea is most popular

Girls named Chelsea per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.242 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 girls named Chelsea 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 Girls 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
New Jersey 99 0.548 +127%
New York 217 0.548 +126%
Maryland 50 0.472 +95%
California 312 0.371 +53%
North Carolina 80 0.351 +45%
Wisconsin 36 0.350 +44%
Virginia 59 0.346 +43%
Pennsylvania 75 0.317 +31%
Georgia 65 0.286 +18%
Florida 114 0.266 +10%
Texas 213 0.265 +9%
Illinois 59 0.258 +6%
Washington 36 0.249 ≈ national
Mississippi 11 0.235 ≈ national
Connecticut 13 0.223 -8%
South Carolina 20 0.222 -8%
Tennessee 33 0.208 -14%
Michigan 34 0.187 -23%
Ohio 41 0.173 -29%
Indiana 22 0.157 -35%
Arizona 20 0.143 -41%
Massachusetts 16 0.132 -45%
Utah 11 0.132 -45%
Kentucky 11 0.129 -47%
Colorado 13 0.116 -52%
Missouri 12 0.100 -59%
Arkansas 5 0.095 -61%
Iowa 5 0.086 -65%
Oregon 5 0.077 -68%
Alabama 7 0.075 -69%
Louisiana 6 0.069 -72%
Oklahoma 5 0.068 -72%
Minnesota 6 0.056 -77%
Alaska – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Idaho – – –
Kansas – – –
Maine – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Dakota – – –
Vermont – – –
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 Chelsea

Chelsea is uncommon for girls in the United States, ranked #851 in 2025 with 319 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1910, 163,335 American babies have been named Chelsea. Its peak came in 1992, when 16,199 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1990s.

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

How old are people named Chelsea?

The median living Chelsea is about 33 years old; half are between 28 and 36. An estimated 160 thousand people named Chelsea are alive in the United States today.

median 33 020406080100

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

Chelsea 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 319 #851 – –
2024 358 #787 – –
2023 397 #712 – –
2022 424 #693 – –
2021 466 #635 – –
2020 449 #644 – –
2019 557 #547 – –
2018 664 #471 5 #12,515
2017 818 #381 – –
2016 933 #354 – –
2015 1,057 #309 6 #10,924
2014 1,196 #275 – –
2013 1,179 #271 – –
2012 1,356 #235 – –
2011 1,425 #222 – –
2010 1,417 #223 – –
2009 1,429 #232 – –
2008 1,518 #222 – –
2007 1,644 #209 – –
2006 1,824 #192 – –
2005 1,734 #200 – –
2004 1,752 #195 11 #6,597
2003 1,838 #176 – –
2002 1,785 #179 7 #8,608
2001 2,120 #153 – –
2000 2,380 #140 – –
1995 6,761 #47 14 #4,313
1990 12,785 #24 33 #2,180
1985 3,613 #75 18 #2,731
1980 540 #412 5 #6,404
1975 351 #509 6 #4,896
1970 226 #692 – –
1965 7 #5,363 – –
1960 9 #4,497 – –
1955 – – – –
1950 6 #4,821 – –
1945 – – – –
1940 – – – –
1935 5 #4,310 – –
1930 5 #4,664 5 #4,089
1925 6 #4,522 – –
1920 – – 5 #4,405
1915 7 #3,492 – –
1910 5 #2,472 – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Chelsea

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

  1. 1 Chelsea Handler Chelsea Handler American comedian, actress, writer, and producer (born 1975) Contemporary
  2. 2 Chelsea Clinton Chelsea Clinton American writer (born 1980) Contemporary
  3. 3 Chelsea Peretti Chelsea Peretti American comedian and actress (born 1978) Contemporary
  4. 4 Chelsea Manning Chelsea Manning American activist and whistleblower (born 1987) Contemporary
  5. 5 Chelsea Noble American actress (born 1964) Contemporary
  6. 6 Chelsea Field American actress b. 1957 · Contemporary
  7. 7 Chelsea Kane Chelsea Kane American actress and singer (born 1988) Contemporary
  8. 8 Chelsea Charms Chelsea Charms American actress b. 1976 · Contemporary
  9. 9 Chelsea Johnson Chelsea Johnson American pole vaulter (born 1983) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Chelsea?

The median living Chelsea is about 33 years old. Half of all living Chelseas are between 28 and 36 years old.

How many people named Chelsea are alive today?

An estimated 160 thousand people named Chelsea are alive in the United States, based on 163,335 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Chelsea mean?

From Old English Ċealchȳþ, from cealc (“chalk”) +‎ hȳþ (“landing place”).

How popular is the name Chelsea in 2025?

Chelsea ranked #851 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 319 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Chelsea?

163,335 babies have been named Chelsea in the United States since 1910, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Chelsea most popular?

Chelsea peaked in 1992, when 16,199 newborns received the name.

Is Chelsea a boy or girl name?

Chelsea is overwhelmingly a girl's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Chelsea rising or falling?

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

Will Chelsea become more popular?

Chelsea is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 243 girls named Chelsea 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 Chelsea?

Well-known people named Chelsea include Chelsea Handler (comedian), Chelsea Clinton (public worker), Chelsea Peretti (actor).

Names like Chelsea

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

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