Girls' name · since 1956
Chara
Chara has 1,012 recorded births since 1956 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1982 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #7,453 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #13,434 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 1,012
- born since 1956
- 1980s
- peak decade
Chara currently ranks #13434 among girls' names in America, with 1,012 babies recorded since 1956.
Chara has 1,012 recorded births among girls since 1956, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #13434 as of the latest data, more common than 22% of girls, busiest in the 1980s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1956 to 2025.
- #7,453 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #13,434 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 1,012 born since 1956
- 1980s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Chara ranks #7,453 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #13,434 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 1,012 born since 1956, peaking in the 1980s.
- #7,453 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #13,434 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 1,012
- born since 1956
- 1980s
- peak decade
Chara's 1,012 recorded births place it above 89.69% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
The state file records this name in 3 jurisdictions, led by California.
How Chara compares
1,012 Top 32% higher than 68% of 17,297 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls 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
Chara's all-time total is 169% above the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Chara | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 1,012 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 39 | 21 | 19,840 |
Chara's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Chara's SSA record in two at 1992 and the more recent half accounts for 34% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 66%, consistent with a name more common in the past than in recent years. Its calmest year was 1956, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 1982 peak of 39, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Chara popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1956–2025
- Peak year (1982)
- 39
- Annual births at peak, across 70 years of records
Chara by decade
1980s is the heaviest window (275 births, 27% of the file).
1980s was Chara's strongest decade.
275 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 27% of all-time use.
Chara births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1950s 11
1950s
11 births
- 1960s 73
1960s
73 births
- 1970s
1970s
268 births
- 1980s
1980s
275 births
- 1990s
1990s
144 births
- 2000s 108
2000s
108 births
- 2010s 96
2010s
96 births
- 2020s 37
2020s
37 births
What this shows Peak: 1980s at 275 births (27% of all-time use).
How Chara compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Chara's total volume
Chara by state
Where Chara concentrates geographically, total births since 1956
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 19 | 1.9% |
| #2 | Texas | | 11 | 1.1% |
| #3 | Florida | | 5 | 0.5% |
19 of 1,012 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 3 reporting states.
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Chara? ▼
Where does Chara sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Chara most popular? ▼
Where is Chara most popular? ▼
How long has the name Chara been used? ▼
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What to do with Chara's data
- Chara's decade-level peak was the 1980s (275 total births); usage has since declined to 37 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Charas (19 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Chara
Nearby Names Like Chara
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Chara
Compare Chara side by side: Chara vs Charlotte Chara vs Charlene Chara vs Charlie
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Chara
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Chara: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1982)
Similar record span (~69 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, 1956–2025 (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 Chara 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.