Girl · #13,316 in 2026

Chaneka

Hanukkah is a Jewish holiday that commemorates the Maccabean Revolt against the Seleucid Empire in the 2nd century BCE, when the Maccabees successfully recovered Jerusalem and the Second Temple.

Current Rank
#13,316
Peak Rank
#7,314 (1979)
Total Babies
64
5-Yr Trend
Stable
1978
First Year
1992
Last Year
1979
Peak Year
#7314
Peak Rank
64
Total Count
10
Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Chaneka

What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.

Hanukkah is a Jewish holiday that commemorates the Maccabean Revolt against the Seleucid Empire in the 2nd century BCE, when the Maccabees successfully recovered Jerusalem and the Second Temple.

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

Etymology
The name "Hanukkah" derives from the Hebrew verb " חנך ", meaning "to dedicate", because on Hanukkah, the Maccabees Jews regained control of Jerusalem and rededicated the Temple. Many homiletical explanations have been given for the name: The name can be broken down into חנו כ״ה , "[they] rested [on the] twenty-fifth", referring to the fact that the Jews ceased fighting on the 25th day of Kislev , the day on which the holiday begins. חינוך Chinuch , from the same root, is the name for Jewish education, emphasizing ethical training and discipline. חנוכה (Hanukkah) is also the Hebrew acronym for
Origin & history
Further information: Coele-Syria A model of Jerusalem during the Second Temple Period After the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BCE , Judea became part of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt until 200 BCE, when King Antiochus III the Great of Syria defeated King Ptolemy V Epiphanes of Egypt at the Battle of Panium . Judea then became part of the Seleucid Empire of Syria. King Antiochus III the Great, wanting to conciliate his new Jewish subjects, guaranteed their right to "live according to their ancestral customs" and to continue to practice their religion in the Temple of Jerusalem. The Seleu

The Story of Chaneka

American parents first put Chaneka on the record books as a baby girl name in 1978, with 7 registered babies. Its peak popularity came in 1979, when 8 Chanekas were born — ranking #7,314 that year. About 48% of every Chaneka on record arrived during the 1980s, its defining decade. Chaneka last appeared in the published SSA data in 1992, with 5 recorded births — it has not charted nationally since. All told, over 64 Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1970s to the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

ME
WA
MT
ND
MN
WI
MI
NY
VT
NH
MA
OR
ID
SD
IA
IL
IN
OH
PA
NJ
CT
RI
CA
NV
WY
NE
MO
KY
WV
VA
MD
DE
DC
UT
CO
KS
AR
TN
NC
SC
AK
AZ
NM
OK
LA
MS
AL
GA
HI
TX
FL
Top 10
11-50
51-100
101-500
500+
No data

Where is Chaneka most common?

Predicted country distribution based on naming patterns globally.

  • United States
    50%
  • BS
    26%
  • JM
    18%
  • Japan
    4%
  • United Kingdom
    2%

Source: Nationalize.io . Probabilities are global naming-pattern estimates, not strict counts.

Names that sound like Chaneka

Phonetically similar names — useful when Chaneka 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 Chaneka

What does the name Chaneka mean?
Hanukkah is a Jewish holiday that commemorates the Maccabean Revolt against the Seleucid Empire in the 2nd century BCE, when the Maccabees successfully recovered Jerusalem and the Second Temple.
How popular is Chaneka in 2026?
In 2026, Chaneka ranks #13,316 among girls' names in the U.S., with 5 babies given the name that year.
When was Chaneka most popular?
Chaneka reached its peak popularity in 1979, ranking #7,314 that year with 8 babies given the name.
Is Chaneka a unisex name?
In U.S. Social Security records, Chaneka is primarily a girl's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a boy's name.
What names go well with Chaneka?
Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Chaneka include Kumiko, Anglina, Dezra. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

Similar Names

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Kumiko
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Anglina
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Dezra
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👧
Tryna
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Andrean
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Cherrita
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Ngela
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Chennel
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About the name Chaneka

Chaneka is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1978 and has accumulated 64 births in the dataset. Chaneka's peak popularity came in 1979 when it ranked #7,314. Use the chart and map above to compare Chaneka's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.

Continue exploring

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.