Boys' name · since 1942
Chaim
Chaim has 12,072 recorded births since 1942 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 2022 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #1,081 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #666 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 12,072
- born since 1942
- 2010s
- peak decade
Chaim currently ranks #666 among boys' names in America, with 12,072 babies recorded since 1942.
Social Security Administration records show Chaim recorded 12,072 times among boys since 1942, holding rank #666 nationally today, ahead of 95% of boys, peaking in the 2010s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1942 to 2025.
- #1,081 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #666 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 12,072 born since 1942
- 2010s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Chaim ranks #1,081 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #666 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 12,072 born since 1942, peaking in the 2010s.
- #1,081 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #666 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 12,072
- born since 1942
- 2010s
- peak decade
Chaim's 12,072 recorded births place it above 97.62% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
10 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by New York.
How Chaim compares
12,072 Top 8% higher than 92% of 13,930 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
Chaim's all-time total is 33x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Chaim | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 12,072 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 462 | 34 | 22,252 |
Chaim's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Chaim's SSA record in two at 1984 and the more recent half accounts for 84% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 16%, consistent with a name still gaining ground rather than fading. Its calmest year was 1944, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 2022 peak of 462, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Chaim popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1942–2025
- Peak year (2022)
- 462
- Annual births at peak, across 84 years of records
Currently ranks #666 among boys.
12,072 total births across 84 years of SSA records. Peaked in 2022 with 462 births in a single year.
Chaim popularity over time - girls
6 total births recorded since 1985 (Chaim as girls' name)
Unisex use remains the minority pattern
The girls' variant of Chaim accounts for 0% of total recorded use across both genders.
Chaim by decade
2010s is the heaviest window (3,209 births, 27% of the file).
2010s was Chaim's strongest decade.
3,209 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 27% of all-time use.
Chaim births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1940s 66
1940s
66 births
- 1950s 354
1950s
354 births
- 1960s 361
1960s
361 births
- 1970s 756
1970s
756 births
- 1980s 1,067
1980s
1,067 births
- 1990s
1990s
1,514 births
- 2000s
2000s
2,260 births
- 2010s
2010s
3,209 births
- 2020s
2020s
2,485 births
What this shows Peak: 2010s at 3,209 births (27% of all-time use).
Chaim decade highlights
- Peak decade 3,209 births
- Runner-up 2,485 births
- Modern era share 2010s + 2020s
- Decades tracked with recorded births
How Chaim 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 Chaim's total volume
Chaim by state
Where Chaim concentrates geographically, total births since 1942
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 8,150 | 67.5% |
| #2 | New Jersey | | 2,419 | 20.0% |
| #3 | Maryland | | 149 | 1.2% |
| #4 | California | | 80 | 0.7% |
| #5 | Illinois | | 70 | 0.6% |
| #6 | Florida | | 62 | 0.5% |
| #7 | Ohio | | 26 | 0.2% |
| #8 | Connecticut | | 11 | 0.1% |
8,150 of 12,072 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 10 reporting states.
Top 5 states
- New York 67.5% of nationwide
- New Jersey 20.0% of nationwide
- Maryland 1.2% of nationwide
- California 0.7% of nationwide
- Illinois 0.6% of nationwide
Recorded in 10 of 51 SSA jurisdictions
New York accounts for 67.5% of all recorded births nationwide - a strong regional concentration for this name.
Chaim appears in 10 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
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What to do with Chaim's data
- Chaim's usage has stayed within range of its 2010s decade-level peak (3,209 total births) through the 2020s (2,485) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- New York records the most Chaims (8,150 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Chaim
Nearby Names Like Chaim
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Chaim
Compare Chaim side by side: Chaim vs Charles Chaim vs Chad Chaim vs Charlie
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Chaim
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Chaim: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~2022)
Similar record span (~83 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 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, 1942–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
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 Chaim 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 August 2026.
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