Total births
240,728
Boys' name · since 1914
Chad
240,728 babies named Chad in U.S. Social Security records since 1914, with the highest year being 1972. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #1814
- among boys today
- 240,728
- born since 1914
- 1970s
- peak decade
- 87%
- more common than other boys
Chad currently ranks #1814 among boys' names in America, with 240,728 babies recorded since 1914.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Chad has been recorded 240,728 times among boys since 1914, currently ranked #1814 nationally and more common than 87% of boys, with its heaviest use in the 1970s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1914 to 2025.
- #1814 among boys today
- 240,728 born since 1914
- 1970s peak decade
- 87% more common than other boys
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Chad is currently the #1814 boys' name in America, more common than 87% of boys - 240,728 born since 1914, peaking in the 1970s.
- #1814
- among boys today
- 240,728
- born since 1914
- 1970s
- peak decade
- 87%
- more common than other boys
Chad vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#1814
of 14,294 boys in use
More common than 87% of names given to boys today.
1970s
Peak decade
47% of everyone ever named Chad was born in this single decade.
1972
Single peak year
13,392 babies were named Chad in 1972 - its busiest year on record.
How Chad compares
240,728 Top 1% higher than 99% of 14,294 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Chad's all-time total is 656x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Chad | Median boys name (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 240,728 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 13,392 | 23 | 22,252 |
Chad's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Chad splits its recorded history at 1970: 92% of all births land in the more recent half, 8% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 1915 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1972 peak of 13,392 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Chad at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1972
Current rank
#1,814
Active since
1914
Chad popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1914–2025
- Peak year (1972)
- 13,392
- Annual births at peak, across 112 years of records
Chad popularity over time - girls
1,039 total births recorded since 1966 (Chad as girls' name)
Chad by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1970s was Chad's strongest decade.
113,534 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 47% of all-time use.
Chad births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1910s 50
1910s
50 births
- 1920s 103
1920s
103 births
- 1930s 157
1930s
157 births
- 1940s 451
1940s
451 births
- 1950s 1,837
1950s
1,837 births
- 1960s 15,902
1960s
15,902 births
- 1970s
1970s
113,534 births
- 1980s
1980s
69,051 births
- 1990s 27,112
1990s
27,112 births
- 2000s 8,516
2000s
8,516 births
- 2010s 3,281
2010s
3,281 births
- 2020s 734
2020s
734 births
What this shows Peak: 1970s at 113,534 births (47% of all-time use).
How Chad compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Chad's total volume
Chad vs 15 similarly-sized boys names
Chad by state
Where Chad concentrates geographically, total births since 1914
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 17,018 | 7.1% |
| #2 | Ohio | | 16,349 | 6.8% |
| #3 | Texas | | 14,360 | 6.0% |
| #4 | Michigan | | 13,050 | 5.4% |
| #5 | Pennsylvania | | 11,862 | 4.9% |
| #6 | Illinois | | 10,791 | 4.5% |
| #7 | Minnesota | | 9,991 | 4.2% |
| #8 | Indiana | | 9,564 | 4.0% |
California share of Chad's total US births 7.1%
Even split
17,018 of 240,728 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Chad appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Chad? ▼
Chad has been given to 240,728 babies in the U.S. since 1914, according to SSA data. Among boys, it ranks #1814 as of the latest data. 13,392 babies were born in 1972, its single highest year.
When was Chad most popular? ▼
Chad was most popular in the 1970s decade with 113,534 total births. The single peak year was 1972.
Where is Chad most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Chad are California (17,018 births), Ohio (16,349 births), Texas (14,360 births).
How long has the name Chad been used? ▼
Records for Chad go back to 1914, giving 112 years of history through 2025.
What names are similar to Chad? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Charles, Charlie, Chase, Chance, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
What to do with Chad's data
- Chad's decade-level peak was the 1970s (113,534 total births); usage has since declined to 734 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Chads (17,018 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Chad
Nearby Names Like Chad
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Chad
Charles Boy
#51 2,434,659 births
Charlie Boy
#176 184,280 births
Chase Boy
#173 181,160 births
Chance Boy
#418 54,622 births
Chandler Boy
#736 36,507 births
Compare Chad side by side: Chad vs Charles Chad vs Charlie Chad vs Chase
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Chad
Wolf #1813
1,658 births · Peak 2021
Raylen #1815
1,611 births · Peak 2020
Monty #1812
15,350 births · Peak 1961
Jacobi #1816
4,195 births · Peak 2008
Justus #1811
9,140 births · Peak 2007
Jareth #1817
2,076 births · Peak 2024
Truman #1810
15,947 births · Peak 1945
Axell #1818
1,125 births · Peak 2021
Data Sources
Data as of June 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1914–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Chad: #1814 Boys' Name - 240,728 Births, Peak 1972." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/chad. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Chad draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.