Total births
54,622
Boys' name · since 1883
Chance
Chance has 54,622 recorded births since 1883 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1996 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #418
- among boys today
- 54,622
- born since 1883
- 2000s
- peak decade
- 97%
- more common than other boys
Chance currently ranks #418 among boys' names in America, with 54,622 babies recorded since 1883.
Chance has 54,622 recorded births among boys since 1883, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #418 as of the latest data, more common than 97% of boys, busiest in the 2000s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1883 to 2025.
- #418 among boys today
- 54,622 born since 1883
- 2000s peak decade
- 97% more common than other boys
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Chance is currently the #418 boys' name in America, more common than 97% of boys - 54,622 born since 1883, peaking in the 2000s.
- #418
- among boys today
- 54,622
- born since 1883
- 2000s
- peak decade
- 97%
- more common than other boys
Chance vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#418
of 14,294 boys in use
More common than 97% of names given to boys today.
2000s
Peak decade
26% of everyone ever named Chance was born in this single decade.
1996
Single peak year
2,243 babies were named Chance in 1996 - its busiest year on record.
How Chance compares
54,622 Top 3% higher than 97% 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
Chance's all-time total is 149x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Chance | Median boys name (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 54,622 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 2,243 | 23 | 22,252 |
Chance's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Chance's full recorded timeline at 1987, 90% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 10% in the earlier half -- usage has skewed toward the present, not a one-decade spike. Its quietest year on record was 1883, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1996 peak of 2,243 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Chance at a glance
Top 1,000 boys' namePeak year
1996
Current rank
#418
Active since
1883
Chance popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1883–2025
- Peak year (1996)
- 2,243
- Annual births at peak, across 143 years of records
Chance popularity over time - girls
1,388 total births recorded since 1967 (Chance as girls' name)
Chance by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
2000s was Chance's strongest decade.
14,339 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 26% of all-time use.
Chance births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 5
1880s
5 births
- 1910s 5
1910s
5 births
- 1920s 12
1920s
12 births
- 1940s 20
1940s
20 births
- 1950s 22
1950s
22 births
- 1960s 536
1960s
536 births
- 1970s 1,840
1970s
1,840 births
- 1980s 4,726
1980s
4,726 births
- 1990s
1990s
13,231 births
- 2000s
2000s
14,339 births
- 2010s
2010s
14,338 births
- 2020s 5,548
2020s
5,548 births
What this shows Peak: 2000s at 14,339 births (26% of all-time use).
How Chance 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 Chance's total volume
Chance vs 15 similarly-sized boys names
Chance by state
Where Chance concentrates geographically, total births since 1883
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Texas | | 6,185 | 11.3% |
| #2 | California | | 3,725 | 6.8% |
| #3 | Florida | | 2,748 | 5.0% |
| #4 | Georgia | | 2,225 | 4.1% |
| #5 | Ohio | | 2,100 | 3.8% |
| #6 | Louisiana | | 1,933 | 3.5% |
| #7 | Oklahoma | | 1,782 | 3.3% |
| #8 | North Carolina | | 1,718 | 3.1% |
Texas share of Chance's total US births 11.3%
Even split
6,185 of 54,622 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 49 reporting states.
Chance appears in 49 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Chance? ▼
Since 1883, Social Security records show 54,622 babies named Chance. Today it holds rank #418 among boys. Its busiest year on record was 1996, with 2,243 births.
When was Chance most popular? ▼
Chance was most popular in the 2000s decade with 14,339 total births. The single peak year was 1996.
Where is Chance most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Chance are Texas (6,185 births), California (3,725 births), Florida (2,748 births).
How long has the name Chance been used? ▼
Chance has been recorded in Social Security data since 1883, spanning 143 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Chance? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Charles, Chad, Charlie, Chase, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
What to do with Chance's data
- Chance's usage has stayed within range of its 2000s decade-level peak (14,339 total births) through the 2020s (5,548) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- Texas records the most Chances (6,185 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Texas 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 Chance
Nearby Names Like Chance
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Chance
Charles Boy
#51 2,434,659 births
Chad Boy
#1814 240,728 births
Charlie Boy
#176 184,280 births
Chase Boy
#173 181,160 births
Chandler Boy
#736 36,507 births
Compare Chance side by side: Chance vs Charles Chance vs Chad Chance vs Charlie
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Chance
Kian #417
13,457 births · Peak 2025
Kayce #419
3,316 births · Peak 2025
Solomon #416
38,069 births · Peak 2016
Raphael #420
24,258 births · Peak 2025
Lawson #415
18,533 births · Peak 2021
Jake #421
129,322 births · Peak 2004
Apollo #414
9,000 births · Peak 2022
Frederick #422
266,060 births · Peak 1951
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, 1883–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Chance: #418 Boys' Name - 54,622 Births, Peak 1996." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/chance. 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 Chance 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.