Boys' name · since 1919
Chief
Since 1919, U.S. Social Security records show 348 babies named Chief, peaking in 2020. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #9,775 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #5,913 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 348
- born since 1919
- 2020s
- peak decade
Chief currently ranks #5913 among boys' names in America, with 348 babies recorded since 1919.
Chief has 348 recorded births among boys since 1919, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #5913 as of the latest data, more common than 58% of boys, busiest in the 2020s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1919 to 2025.
- #9,775 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #5,913 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 348 born since 1919
- 2020s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Chief ranks #9,775 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #5,913 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 348 born since 1919, peaking in the 2020s.
- #9,775 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #5,913 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 348
- born since 1919
- 2020s
- peak decade
Chief's 348 recorded births place it above 78.46% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
The state file records this name in 2 jurisdictions, led by California.
How Chief compares
348 48th percentile among 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
Chief's all-time total is 6% below the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Chief | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 348 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 34 | 34 | 22,252 |
Chief's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Chief splits its recorded history at 2015: 76% of all births land in the more recent half, 24% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 1919 (5 births) -- compare that against the 2020 peak of 34 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Chief popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1919–2025
- Peak year (2020)
- 34
- Annual births at peak, across 107 years of records
Chief by decade
2020s is the heaviest window (164 births, 47% of the file).
2020s was Chief's strongest decade.
164 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 47% of all-time use.
Chief births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1910s 5
1910s
5 births
- 2000s 31
2000s
31 births
- 2010s
2010s
148 births
- 2020s
2020s
164 births
What this shows Peak: 2020s at 164 births (47% of all-time use).
Chief by state
Where Chief concentrates geographically, total births since 1919
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 6 | 1.7% |
| #2 | Georgia | | 5 | 1.4% |
6 of 348 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 2 reporting states.
Frequently Asked Questions
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What to do with Chief's data
- California records the most Chiefs (6 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 Chief
Nearby Names Like Chief
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Chief
Compare Chief side by side: Chief vs Chip Chief vs Chistopher Chief vs Chirstopher
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Chief
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Chief: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~2020)
Similar record span (~106 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, 1919–2025 (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 Chief 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.