Unisex name · since 1979
Cheng
Cheng has 646 recorded births since 1979 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1990 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #6,771 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #12,426 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 646
- born since 1979
- 1990s
- peak decade
Cheng currently ranks #12426 among unisex names in America, with 646 babies recorded since 1979.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Cheng has been recorded 646 times among boys since 1979, currently ranked #12426 nationally and more common than 11% of boys, with its heaviest use in the 1990s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1979 to 2025.
- #6,771 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #12,426 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 646 born since 1979
- 1990s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Cheng ranks #6,771 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #12,426 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 646 born since 1979, peaking in the 1990s.
- #6,771 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #12,426 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 646
- born since 1979
- 1990s
- peak decade
Cheng's 646 recorded births place it above 85.1% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
The state file records this name in 3 jurisdictions, led by California.
How Cheng compares
646 Top 39% higher than 61% 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
Cheng's all-time total is 75% above the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Cheng | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 646 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 42 | 34 | 22,252 |
Cheng's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Cheng splits its recorded history at 1997: 27% of all births land in the more recent half, 73% in the earlier half, leaning more toward its earlier era than today's. The single quietest year was 2013 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1990 peak of 42 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Cheng popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1979–2025
- Peak year (1990)
- 42
- Annual births at peak, across 47 years of records
Cheng popularity over time - girls
38 total births recorded since 1984 (Cheng as girls' name)
Cheng by decade
1990s is the heaviest window (259 births, 40% of the file).
1990s was Cheng's strongest decade.
259 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 40% of all-time use.
Cheng births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1970s 9
1970s
9 births
- 1980s
1980s
249 births
- 1990s
1990s
259 births
- 2000s 76
2000s
76 births
- 2010s 24
2010s
24 births
- 2020s 29
2020s
29 births
What this shows Peak: 1990s at 259 births (40% of all-time use).
How Cheng 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 Cheng's total volume
Cheng by state
Where Cheng concentrates geographically, total births since 1979
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 212 | 32.8% |
| #2 | Minnesota | | 96 | 14.9% |
| #3 | Wisconsin | | 53 | 8.2% |
212 of 646 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 3 reporting states.
Frequently Asked Questions
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What to do with Cheng's data
- Cheng's decade-level peak was the 1990s (259 total births); usage has since declined to 29 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Chengs (212 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 Cheng
Nearby Names Like Cheng
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Cheng
Compare Cheng side by side: Cheng vs Chester Cheng vs Chet Cheng vs Chevy
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Cheng
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Cheng: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1990)
Similar record span (~46 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, 1979–2025 (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 Cheng 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.