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.
- #477 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #442 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 54,622
- born since 1883
- 2000s
- peak decade
Chance currently ranks #442 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 #442 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.
- #477 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #442 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 54,622 born since 1883
- 2000s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Chance ranks #477 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #442 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 54,622 born since 1883, peaking in the 2000s.
- #477 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #442 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 54,622
- born since 1883
- 2000s
- peak decade
Chance's 54,622 recorded births place it above 98.95% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
49 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by Texas.
How Chance compares
54,622 Top 4% higher than 96% 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
Chance's all-time total is 148x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Chance | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 54,622 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 2,243 | 34 | 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 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
2000s is the heaviest window (14,339 births, 26% of the file).
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 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% |
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? ▼
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When was Chance most popular? ▼
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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
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
Compare Chance side by side: Chance vs Charles Chance vs Chad Chance vs Charlie
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Chance
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Chance: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1996)
Similar record span (~142 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, 1883–2025 (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 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 August 2026.