Unisex name · since 1976
Cheney
Since 1976, U.S. Social Security records show 209 babies named Cheney, peaking in 2001. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #19,356 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- 209
- born since 1976
- 2000s
- peak decade
Cheney is not among the current top-ranked girls names; 209 have been recorded since 1976.
Cheney has 209 recorded births among girls since 1976, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, though it falls outside today's most-used girls names, 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 1976 to 2011.
- #19,356 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- 209 born since 1976
- 2000s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Cheney ranks #19,356 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first). 209 born since 1976, peaking in the 2000s.
- #19,356 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- 209
- born since 1976
- 2000s
- peak decade
Cheney's 209 recorded births place it above 73.19% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
No state rows cleared SSA’s public reporting threshold for this name.
Cheney's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Cheney's full recorded timeline at 1996, 59% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 41% in the earlier half -- a fairly even split across the full record. Its quietest year on record was 1981, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 2001 peak of 22 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Cheney popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1976–2011
- Peak year (2001)
- 22
- Annual births at peak, across 36 years of records
Cheney popularity over time - boys
124 total births recorded since 1970 (Cheney as boys' name)
Cheney by decade
2000s is the heaviest window (89 births, 43% of the file).
2000s was Cheney's strongest decade.
89 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 43% of all-time use.
Cheney births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1970s 15
1970s
15 births
- 1980s 23
1980s
23 births
- 1990s
1990s
71 births
- 2000s
2000s
89 births
- 2010s 11
2010s
11 births
What this shows Peak: 2000s at 89 births (43% of all-time use).
Frequently Asked Questions
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What to do with Cheney's data
- Cheney's decade-level peak was the 2000s (89 total births); usage has since declined to 11 in the 2010s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Cheney
Nearby Names Like Cheney
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Cheney
Compare Cheney side by side: Cheney vs Cheryl Cheney vs Chelsea Cheney vs Cheyenne
Related Names
Names with a similar number of total births
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Cheney: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~2001)
Similar record span (~35 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, 1976–2011 (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 Cheney 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.