How Many People Are Named Chad?
An estimated 226,071 people in the United States have the first name Chad. While not in the top 50, it remains a well-known name ranking #232 overall. It is almost exclusively a male name. The average bearer is 45 years old, and Chad peaked in popularity in 1972 with 13,440 births that year.
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Chad as a first name in the United States, including gender data, a year-by-year popularity timeline going back to 1880, a decade breakdown, state-by-state birth registrations, and, when available, a 2020 Census snapshot showing who had the name at that point in time. You can also check how many people share the full name Chad paired with any surname.
Key Insights
- While Chad is overwhelmingly male, 1,039 female births have been registered with this name since 1880.
- Chad has fallen dramatically from its peak in the 1970s. Recent registrations are less than 5% of what they were at the name's height.
Estimated Living Americans
226,071
About 1 in 1,516 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Common
Predicted Gender
Male
99.6% confidence
Average Age
45
years old
Peak Year
1972
13,440 births
Total Registered
241,679
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Chad
Chad is almost exclusively a male name. Out of 241,679 total births registered, 99.6% were male.
Chad as a male name
Ranked #1,805 in 2024
90 male births in 2024
Peak: 1972 (13,391 births)
Chad as a female name
Ranked #14,521 in 2004
6 female births in 2004
Peak: 1976 (69 births)
Chad in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 209,144 people with the first name Chad, which placed it at #265 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name in 2020. The estimated living count elsewhere on this page is different: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two figures are not expected to match exactly.
Read this section as a snapshot of people who already had the name in 2020. The SSA charts elsewhere on this page are still the better way to see how the name rose, fell, or shifted across generations.
Gender in the 2020 Census
In the 2020 Census, Chad was recorded as predominantly male. Out of 209,144 people with this name in that snapshot, 99.9% were male and 0.1% were female. That is very close to the long-run birth pattern in SSA records, where the name is male 99.6% of the time.
Census Count
209,144
people with this name
Census Rank
#265
among Census first names
Frequency Rate
69.25
per 100,000 people
Recorded Race and Hispanic Origin in the 2020 Census
In the 2020 Census, the first name Chad was most commonly recorded among people who identified as White (89.01%). The next largest recorded groups were Black (3.83%) and Two or More Races (3.04%).
These percentages describe the people who had the first name Chad in the 2020 Census. They do not tell you the deeper meaning or origin of the name itself.
2020 Census demographic breakdown
Each row shows a recorded Census category for people with the first name Chad.
| Group | Share | Count |
|---|---|---|
| White | 89.01% | 186,169 |
| Black | 3.83% | 8,020 |
| Two or More Races | 3.04% | 6,357 |
| Hispanic | 2.19% | 4,575 |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 1.15% | 2,403 |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.77% | 1,620 |
Chad: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Chad span from the 1910s to the 2020s, covering 12 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 1970s, when 114,102 babies were registered. Chad has declined significantly from its peak in the 1970s. Recent registrations are a fraction of what they were at the name's height.
Chad by Decade
How has Chad tracked across different eras? The table below groups all SSA birth registrations into 10-year periods, with separate male and female counts. The colored bar shows each decade's share relative to the peak.
Chad by State
Birth registrations for Chad span all 51 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in California, Ohio, Texas. The lowest are in District of Columbia, Delaware, Rhode Island. On average, about 4,672 Chads were registered per state.
Chad + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Chad as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Chad
Other first names starting with C with a similar number of bearers.
Chad: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Chad?
We estimate approximately 226,071 people named Chad are alive in the United States today. This is based on SSA birth records from 1880 to 2024, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables. About 1 in 1,516 Americans share this first name.
Is Chad a common name?
Chad is classified as "Common" and is more popular than 99.8% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 241,679 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Chad most popular?
Chad reached peak popularity in 1972, when 13,440 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Chad is approximately 45 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
How common was Chad in the 2020 Census?
The 2020 Census recorded 209,144 people with the first name Chad. That placed it at #265 in the published Census first-name tables, or 69.25 people per 100,000.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census number is a count of people with the name in 2020. The living estimate is a current model based on SSA birth records and survival rates, so it aims to estimate how many people with the name are alive now.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The popularity chart tracks birth registrations, not people currently alive. It shows how often Chad was given to babies from 1880 through 2024, which is why it is the best tool on the page for seeing long-run naming trends.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Chad?
In the 2020 Census snapshot, Chad was recorded as predominantly male. The published split was 99.9% male and 0.1% female.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Chad?
In the 2020 Census, the first name Chad was most commonly recorded among people who identified as White (89.01%). The next largest recorded groups were Black (3.83%) and Two or More Races (3.04%). These percentages describe the people who had the name in the 2020 Census, not the deeper meaning or origin of the name itself.
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census published separate first-name tables for sex and for race and Hispanic origin. Those totals can differ slightly for the same name, so the page uses them as two related snapshots rather than treating them as perfectly interchangeable counts.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name tables only include names that met the Bureau's publication rules. That means some names on this site will have SSA history but no published Census demographic snapshot.
Is Chad a male name?
Chad is predominantly male. 99.6% of people with this name are male. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
Why can Chad have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because a name can build up a large population over many decades. Chad peaked in 1972, and the average living bearer is about 45 years old, so a name can still have millions of living bearers even after it stops feeling current for newborns.
How many Chad Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Chad Smith, Chad Johnson, Chad Williams. You can also search any combination on our homepage.
Where does this data come from?
Our estimates use Social Security Administration birth records (1880 to 2024), adjusted for survival using CDC 2023 life tables broken down by sex. The U.S. population figure (342,754,338) is from the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimate. Full methodology.
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