How Many People Are Named Chai?
An estimated 615 people in the United States have the first name Chai. It is used for both genders, with 60.1% male. The average bearer is 23 years old, and Chai peaked in popularity in 1994 with 26 births that year.
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Chai 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 Chai paired with any surname.
Estimated Living Americans
615
About 1 in 557,324 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Very Rare
Predicted Gender
Male
60.1% confidence
Average Age
23
years old
Peak Year
1994
26 births
Total Registered
629
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Chai
Chai is a genuinely unisex name, used for both males (60.1%) and females (39.9%). Out of 629 total births registered, 378 were male and 251 were female.
Chai as a male name
Ranked #5,936 in 2024
15 male births in 2024
Peak: 1993 (16 births)
Chai as a female name
Ranked #11,283 in 2024
8 female births in 2024
Peak: 2020 (17 births)
Chai in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 1,729 people with the first name Chai, which placed it at #8,392 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, Chai was recorded as predominantly male. Out of 1,729 people with this name in that snapshot, 60.9% were male and 39.1% were female. That is very close to the long-run birth pattern in SSA records, where the name is male 60.1% of the time.
Census Count
1,729
people with this name
Census Rank
#8,392
among Census first names
Frequency Rate
0.57
per 100,000 people
Recorded Race and Hispanic Origin in the 2020 Census
In the 2020 Census, the first name Chai was most commonly recorded among people who identified as Asian and Pacific Islander (78.66%). The next largest recorded groups were Black (8.68%) and White (6.59%).
These percentages describe the people who had the first name Chai 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 Chai.
| Group | Share | Count |
|---|---|---|
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 78.66% | 1,360 |
| Black | 8.68% | 150 |
| White | 6.59% | 114 |
| Two or More Races | 3.35% | 58 |
| Hispanic | 2.49% | 43 |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.23% | 4 |
Chai: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Chai span from the 1970s to the 2020s, covering 6 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 1990s, when 162 babies were registered. While Chai is less common than at its peak in the 1990s, it remains a well-established name with steady registrations.
Chai by Decade
How has Chai 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.
Chai by State
Chai + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Chai as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Chai
Other first names starting with C with a similar number of bearers.
Chai: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Chai?
We estimate approximately 615 people named Chai 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 557,324 Americans share this first name.
Is Chai a common name?
Chai is classified as "Very Rare" and is more popular than 86.5% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 629 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Chai most popular?
Chai reached peak popularity in 1994, when 26 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Chai is approximately 23 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
How common was Chai in the 2020 Census?
The 2020 Census recorded 1,729 people with the first name Chai. That placed it at #8,392 in the published Census first-name tables, or 0.57 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 Chai 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 Chai?
In the 2020 Census snapshot, Chai was recorded as predominantly male. The published split was 60.9% male and 39.1% female.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Chai?
In the 2020 Census, the first name Chai was most commonly recorded among people who identified as Asian and Pacific Islander (78.66%). The next largest recorded groups were Black (8.68%) and White (6.59%). 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 Chai a male name?
Chai is predominantly male. 60.1% of people with this name are male. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
Why can Chai 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. Chai peaked in 1994, and the average living bearer is about 23 years old, so a name can still have millions of living bearers even after it stops feeling current for newborns.
How many Chai Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Chai Smith, Chai Johnson, Chai 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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