Boys' name · since 1909

Chet

Since 1909, U.S. Social Security records show 6,180 babies named Chet, peaking in 1963. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.

#1,554 of 45,481
all-time among boys
#2,187 of 13,930
2025 SSA year
6,180
born since 1909
1960s
peak decade

Yes -- Chet is the #2187 most popular boys' name in the U.S. today, with 6,180 recorded since 1909.

Chet has 6,180 recorded births among boys since 1909, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #2187 as of the latest data, more common than 84% of boys, busiest in the 1960s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1909 to 2025.

  • #1,554 of 45,481 all-time among boys
  • #2,187 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
  • 6,180 born since 1909
  • 1960s peak decade

Data updated Aug 2026

The verdict

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Chet ranks #1,554 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #2,187 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 6,180 born since 1909, peaking in the 1960s.

#1,554 of 45,481
all-time among boys
#2,187 of 13,930
2025 SSA year
6,180
born since 1909
1960s
peak decade
0%100%Median name50%84.3%
Chet vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
Upper archive tier
All-time archive position

Chet's 6,180 recorded births place it above 96.58% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.

29 jurisdictions
State-record footprint

29 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.

How Chet compares

6,180 Top 11% higher than 89% 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

Chet's all-time total is 17x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.

Metric Chet Median boys name (Takari) #1 boys name (Liam)
All-time total births 6,180 369 358,536
Peak-year births 164 34 22,252

Chet's usage pattern, beyond the headline number

Chet splits its recorded history at 1971: 62% of all births land in the more recent half, 38% 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 1963 peak of 164 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.

Chet popularity over time

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1909–2025

Outside the top 1,000
Peak year (1963)
164
Annual births at peak, across 117 years of records
050100150200 190919281944195819721986200020142025 65

Chet by decade

1960s is the heaviest window (1,232 births, 20% of the file).

1960s was Chet's strongest decade.

1,232 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 20% of all-time use.

Chet births by decade

Total births in each ten-year window

births

What this shows Peak: 1960s at 1,232 births (20% of all-time use).

Source U.S. Social Security Administration · Baby Names As of August 2026

How Chet 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 Chet's total volume

Chet vs 15 similarly-sized boys names Scatter plot of 16 data points. 0%2%4%6%8%10%12% 050100150200 New & already peakedOld name, single-era peakNew & still diversifyingLong history, steady all along Years in SSA records % of total births in the single peak year -136, 5.7%-113, 2.9%-81, 6%-146, 4.4%-107, 3.2%-146, 2%-29, 10.4%-145, 5.4%-109, 3.9%-124, 4.1%-146, 3.1%-54, 6.2%-33, 7.4%-128, 5.7%-146, 1.4%Chet-117, 2.7%Chet
Chet vs 15 similarly-sized boys names

Chet by state

Where Chet concentrates geographically, total births since 1909

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Chet
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 California
394 6.4%
#2 Texas
255 4.1%
#3 Utah
205 3.3%
#4 Ohio
178 2.9%
#5 New York
175 2.8%
#6 Louisiana
155 2.5%
#7 Illinois
146 2.4%
#8 Michigan
110 1.8%
California share of Chet's total US births 6.4%
Even split

394 of 6,180 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 29 reporting states.

Chet appears in 29 states. Explore state details →

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Chet? ▼
6,180 babies have been named Chet since 1909. All-time, it sits at #1,554 of 45,481 boys' names by recorded births. In 2025, it ranks #2,187 of 13,930 among boys. The peak year was 1963 with 164 births.
Where does Chet sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Chet ranks #1,554 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #2,187 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. All-time ordinal matches browse popularity (total births DESC); the current ordinal uses the 2025 SSA file. See /methodology#corpus-placement.
When was Chet most popular? ▼
Chet was most popular in the 1960s decade with 1,232 total births. The single peak year was 1963.
Where is Chet most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Chet are California (394 births), Texas (255 births), Utah (205 births).
How long has the name Chet been used? ▼
Records for Chet go back to 1909, giving 117 years of history through 2025.
What names are similar to Chet? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Chester, Chevy, Cheyenne, Chesley, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.

What to do with Chet's data

  • Chet's decade-level peak was the 1960s (1,232 total births); usage has since declined to 363 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
  • California records the most Chets (394 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 Chet

Nearby Names Like Chet

Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Chet

Chester Boy
#1585 121,474 births
Chevy Boy
#1551 3,794 births
Cheyenne Boy
2,696 births
Chesley Boy
#7200 2,294 births
Che Boy
#7799 2,105 births

Compare Chet side by side: Chet vs Chester Chet vs Chevy Chet vs Cheyenne

Or pick any two names to compare →

Related Names

Names with a similar popularity rank to Chet

Lyndon #2186
9,705 births · Peak 1964
Henley #2188
1,547 births · Peak 2015
Maceo #2185
3,195 births · Peak 2017
Quinten #2189
8,098 births · Peak 2000
Estevan #2184
8,956 births · Peak 2003
Efren #2190
8,198 births · Peak 2007
Tom #2183
139,756 births · Peak 1959
Buckley #2191
1,084 births · Peak 2024

Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span

Two nationwide peer axes for Chet: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.

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, 1909–2025 (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 Chet 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.