Girl · #14,823 in 2026

Chela

Name: Popularity of the name Chela in U.S. births, 1880–2026
Creator: U.S. Social Security Administration
License: https://www.ssa.gov/foia/
Keywords: Chela, baby name, popularity, U.S., SSA, rankings

Current Rank

#14,823

Peak Rank

#1,536 (1985)

Total Babies

474

5-Yr Trend

Stable

1955

First Year

2011

Last Year

1985

Peak Year

#1536

Peak Rank

474

Total Count

Years Active

The Story of Chela

American parents first put Chela on the record books as a baby girl name in 1955, with 6 registered babies. Its peak popularity came in 1985, when 79 Chelas were born — ranking #1,536 that year. About 39% of every Chela on record arrived during the 1980s, its defining decade. Chela last appeared in the published SSA data in 2011, with 6 recorded births — it has not charted nationally since. All told, over 474 Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1950s to the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

Top 10

11-50

51-100

101-500

500+

No data

Names that sound like Chela

Phonetically similar names — useful when Chela is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Chella
Chilla
Chila
Cello
Challah
Chola
Cielo
Chula
Celli
Chelo
Cholla
Challa

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Chela

What does the name Chela mean?

Chela is a girl's name that has been used in U.S. records since 1955. Behind the Name doesn't list a specific etymology, but the name has remained in use across multiple decades.

How popular is Chela in 2026?

In 2026, Chela ranks #14,823 among girls' names in the U.S., with 6 babies given the name that year.

When was Chela most popular?

Chela reached its peak popularity in 1985, ranking #1,536 that year with 79 babies given the name.

In which U.S. states is Chela most popular?

Chela has historically been most popular in District of Columbia, Virginia, South Carolina. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Chela.

Is Chela a unisex name?

In U.S. Social Security records, Chela is primarily a girl's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a boy's name.

What names go well with Chela?

Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Chela include Edmonia, Nadyne, Jaslynn. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

About the name Chela

Chela is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1955 and has accumulated 474 births in the dataset. Chela's peak popularity came in 1985 when it ranked #1,536. Use the chart and map above to compare Chela'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.