Chae
Chae (Korean: 채), also less commonly spelled Chai, Chea, or Chei is a Korean family name. Its meaning differs based on the hanja used to write it.
Meaning & Origin of Chae
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Chae (Korean: 채), also less commonly spelled Chai, Chea, or Chei is a Korean family name. Its meaning differs based on the hanja used to write it.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
The Story of Chae
As a girl name
Chae first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a girl name in 1970, with 5 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 1988: 24 births, good for #3,805 nationwide. About 44% of every Chae on record arrived during the 1990s, its defining decade. Chae last appeared in the published SSA data in 2005, with 6 recorded births — it has not charted nationally since. All told, over 175 Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1970s to the 2020s.
As a boy name
Chae first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a boy name in 1972, with 6 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 1989: 10 births, good for #4,811 nationwide. About 38% of every Chae on record arrived during the 1990s, its defining decade. Chae last appeared in the published SSA data in 2004, with 7 recorded births — it has not charted nationally since. All told, over 148 Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1970s to the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Notable people named Chae
A small selection from Wikipedia. Tap "Read more" below to see the full list on Wikipedia.
- John Minkyu Chae (born 1981), Korean American oral and maxillofacial surgeon
- Chae Bo-hun (born 1992), South Korean singer-songwriter
- Chae Byong-duk (1916–1950), South Korean army general
- Chei Byung-yong (born 1982), South Korean baseball player
- Chan-Byoung Chae (born 1976), South Korean computer scientist, electrical engineer, academic
- Esther K. Chae (born 1971), Korean American actress
- Chae Eui-jin (born 1973), South Korean voice actress
- Chae Eun-hee (born 1982), South Korean marathon runner
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Names that sound like Chae
Phonetically similar names — useful when Chae is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Chae
What does the name Chae mean?
How popular is Chae in 2026?
When was Chae most popular?
Is Chae a unisex name?
What names go well with Chae?
About the name Chae
Chae is a unisex baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1970 and has accumulated 175 births in the dataset. Chae's peak popularity came in 1988 when it ranked #3,805. Use the chart and map above to compare Chae's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1988 →
- Names of the 1980s →
- Names starting with "C" →
- Browse all girl names →
- Top names of 2026 →
- Browse unisex names →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.