How Many People Are Named Chester?
An estimated 37,929 people in the United States have the first name Chester. It is predominantly male (99.3%). The average bearer is 66 years old, and Chester peaked in popularity in 1920 with 3,726 births that year.
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Chester 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 Chester paired with any surname.
Key Insights
- While Chester is overwhelmingly male, 828 female births have been registered with this name since 1880.
- With an average bearer age of 66, Chester is a vintage name most associated with earlier generations. Most living bearers were born before 1970.
- Chester has fallen dramatically from its peak in the 1920s. Recent registrations are less than 5% of what they were at the name's height.
Estimated Living Americans
37,929
About 1 in 9,037 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Uncommon
Predicted Gender
Male
99.3% confidence
Average Age
66
years old
Peak Year
1920
3,726 births
Total Registered
122,197
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Chester
Chester is almost exclusively a male name. Out of 122,197 total births registered, 99.3% were male.
Chester as a male name
Ranked #1,650 in 2024
102 male births in 2024
Peak: 1920 (3,698 births)
Chester as a female name
Ranked #10,560 in 1983
5 female births in 1983
Peak: 1926 (35 births)
Chester: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Chester span from the 1880s to the 2020s, covering 15 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 1920s, when 28,675 babies were registered. Chester has declined significantly from its peak in the 1920s. Recent registrations are a fraction of what they were at the name's height.
Chester by Decade
How has Chester 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.
| Decade | Total | Male | Female | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 2,699 | 2,699 | 0 | |
| 1890s | 3,039 | 3,021 | 18 | |
| 1900s | 3,830 | 3,788 | 42 | |
| 1910s | 23,673 | 23,500 | 173 | |
| 1920s | 28,675 | 28,435 | 240 | |
| 1930s | 14,527 | 14,413 | 114 | |
| 1940s | 15,403 | 15,286 | 117 | |
| 1950s | 12,858 | 12,780 | 78 | |
| 1960s | 6,807 | 6,784 | 23 | |
| 1970s | 4,154 | 4,136 | 18 | |
| 1980s | 2,802 | 2,797 | 5 | |
| 1990s | 1,549 | 1,549 | 0 | |
| 2000s | 883 | 883 | 0 | |
| 2010s | 840 | 840 | 0 | |
| 2020s | 458 | 458 | 0 | |
Chester by State
Birth registrations for Chester span all 51 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in Pennsylvania, New York, Illinois. The lowest are in Alaska, Nevada, Delaware. On average, about 2,114 Chesters were registered per state.
Chester + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Chester as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Chester
Other first names starting with C with a similar number of bearers.
Chester: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Chester?
We estimate approximately 37,929 people named Chester 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 9,037 Americans share this first name.
Is Chester a common name?
Chester is classified as "Uncommon" and is more popular than 99% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 122,197 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Chester most popular?
Chester reached peak popularity in 1920, when 3,726 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Chester is approximately 66 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
Is Chester a male name?
Chester is predominantly male. 99.3% of people with this name are male. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
How many Chester Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Chester Smith, Chester Johnson, Chester 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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