How Many People Are Named Cheng?
An estimated 658 people in the United States have the first name Cheng. It is predominantly male (94.4%). The average bearer is 33 years old, and Cheng peaked in popularity in 1990 with 48 births that year.
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Cheng as a first name in the United States, including gender data, a year-by-year popularity timeline going back to 1880, a decade breakdown, and state-by-state birth registrations. You can also check how many people share the full name Cheng paired with any surname.
Estimated Living Americans
658
About 1 in 520,903 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Very Rare
Predicted Gender
Male
94.4% confidence
Average Age
33
years old
Peak Year
1990
48 births
Total Registered
679
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Cheng
Cheng is predominantly male (94.4%), though 38 female births have been registered. It functions as a unisex name for a small percentage of bearers.
Cheng as a male name
Ranked #11,148 in 2024
6 male births in 2024
Peak: 1990 (42 births)
Cheng as a female name
Ranked #14,176 in 1997
5 female births in 1997
Peak: 1988 (7 births)
Cheng: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Cheng span from the 1970s to the 2020s, covering 6 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 1990s, when 285 babies were registered. Cheng has declined significantly from its peak in the 1990s. Recent registrations are a fraction of what they were at the name's height.
Cheng by Decade
How has Cheng 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.
Cheng by State
Birth registrations for Cheng span all 3 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in California, Minnesota, Wisconsin. The lowest are in Wisconsin, Minnesota, California. On average, about 122 Chengs were registered per state.
Cheng + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Cheng as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Cheng
Other first names starting with C with a similar number of bearers.
Cheng: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Cheng?
We estimate approximately 658 people named Cheng 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 520,903 Americans share this first name.
Is Cheng a common name?
Cheng is classified as "Very Rare" and is more popular than 87.1% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 679 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Cheng most popular?
Cheng reached peak popularity in 1990, when 48 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Cheng is approximately 33 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
Is Cheng a male name?
Cheng is predominantly male. 94.4% of people with this name are male. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
How many Cheng Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Cheng Smith, Cheng Johnson, Cheng 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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