Total births
162,884
Girls' name · since 1910
Chelsea
162,884 babies named Chelsea in U.S. Social Security records since 1910, with the highest year being 1992. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #789
- among girls today
- 162,884
- born since 1910
- 1990s
- peak decade
- 96%
- more common than other girls
162,884 babies have been named Chelsea since 1910, making it today's #789 girls' name.
Social Security Administration records show Chelsea recorded 162,884 times among girls since 1910, holding rank #789 nationally today, ahead of 96% of girls, peaking in the 1990s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1910 to 2025.
- #789 among girls today
- 162,884 born since 1910
- 1990s peak decade
- 96% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Chelsea is currently the #789 girls' name in America, more common than 96% of girls - 162,884 born since 1910, peaking in the 1990s.
- #789
- among girls today
- 162,884
- born since 1910
- 1990s
- peak decade
- 96%
- more common than other girls
Chelsea vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#789
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 96% of names given to girls today.
1990s
Peak decade
52% of everyone ever named Chelsea was born in this single decade.
1992
Single peak year
16,177 babies were named Chelsea in 1992 - its busiest year on record.
How Chelsea compares
162,884 Top 1% higher than 99% of 17,726 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
Chelsea's all-time total is 426x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Chelsea | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 162,884 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 16,177 | 48 | 19,840 |
Chelsea's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Chelsea splits its recorded history at 1985: 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 1910 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1992 peak of 16,177 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Chelsea at a glance
Top 1,000 girls' namePeak year
1992
Current rank
#789
Active since
1910
Chelsea popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1910–2025
- Peak year (1992)
- 16,177
- Annual births at peak, across 116 years of records
Chelsea popularity over time - boys
451 total births recorded since 1914 (Chelsea as boys' name)
Chelsea by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1990s was Chelsea's strongest decade.
84,805 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 52% of all-time use.
Chelsea births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1910s 24
1910s
24 births
- 1920s 25
1920s
25 births
- 1930s 15
1930s
15 births
- 1940s 5
1940s
5 births
- 1950s 31
1950s
31 births
- 1960s 292
1960s
292 births
- 1970s 3,485
1970s
3,485 births
- 1980s
1980s
43,163 births
- 1990s
1990s
84,805 births
- 2000s 18,024
2000s
18,024 births
- 2010s 10,602
2010s
10,602 births
- 2020s 2,413
2020s
2,413 births
What this shows Peak: 1990s at 84,805 births (52% of all-time use).
How Chelsea 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 Chelsea's total volume
Chelsea vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Chelsea by state
Where Chelsea concentrates geographically, total births since 1910
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 17,648 | 10.8% |
| #2 | Texas | | 13,591 | 8.3% |
| #3 | New York | | 10,566 | 6.5% |
| #4 | Florida | | 8,741 | 5.4% |
| #5 | Michigan | | 7,820 | 4.8% |
| #6 | Ohio | | 7,721 | 4.7% |
| #7 | Pennsylvania | | 7,065 | 4.3% |
| #8 | Georgia | | 4,986 | 3.1% |
California share of Chelsea's total US births 10.8%
Even split
17,648 of 162,884 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Chelsea appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Chelsea? ▼
Since 1910, Social Security records show 162,884 babies named Chelsea. Today it holds rank #789 among girls. Its busiest year on record was 1992, with 16,177 births.
When was Chelsea most popular? ▼
Chelsea was most popular in the 1990s decade with 84,805 total births. The single peak year was 1992.
Where is Chelsea most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Chelsea are California (17,648 births), Texas (13,591 births), New York (10,566 births).
How long has the name Chelsea been used? ▼
Records for Chelsea go back to 1910, giving 116 years of history through 2025.
What names are similar to Chelsea? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Cheryl, Cheyenne, Cheri, Chelsey, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Chelsea's data
- Chelsea's decade-level peak was the 1990s (84,805 total births); usage has since declined to 2,413 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Chelseas (17,648 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 Chelsea
Nearby Names Like Chelsea
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Chelsea
Cheryl Girl
#3977 439,539 births
Cheyenne Girl
#870 70,732 births
Cheri Girl
#10373 36,068 births
Chelsey Girl
#5482 31,498 births
Cherie Girl
#6950 29,969 births
Compare Chelsea side by side: Chelsea vs Cheryl Chelsea vs Cheyenne Chelsea vs Cheri
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Chelsea
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, 1910–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Chelsea: #789 Girls' Name - 162,884 Births, Peak 1992." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/chelsea. 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 Chelsea 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.