Chan
The Story of Chan
As a girl name
Chan first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a girl name in 1956, with 6 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1983, when 18 Chans were born — ranking #4,108 that year. As of 2026, Chan ranks #15,782 for girls with 5 births, with steady use. In total, more than 212 Chans have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1950s through the 2020s.
As a boy name
Chan first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a boy name in 1919, with 6 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1986, when 24 Chans were born — ranking #2,290 that year. As of 2026, Chan ranks #10,889 for boys with 6 births, with steady use. In total, more than 1K Chans have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1910s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Names that sound like Chan
Phonetically similar names — useful when Chan 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 Chan
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About the name Chan
Chan is a unisex baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1919 and has accumulated 1K births in the dataset. Chan's peak popularity came in 1986 when it ranked #2,290. Use the chart and map above to compare Chan's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1986 →
- Names of the 1980s →
- Names starting with "C" →
- Browse all boy 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.