boy's name
Chad
CHAD
- Origin English
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 1
- Letters 4
- Popularity Uncommon
- Births on record 247,752
Northern Ireland
#342
2008 births
Chad is a boy's name from a seventh-century English saint, and it has since become an American internet stereotype and, separately, the name of a country and a disputed ballot. It peaked in 1972.
- Chad is a name of English origin.
- Peaked in 1972, when 13,441 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 34,535 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1914.
- 1 syllable, with the stress on syllable 1.
Chad over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1910s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1910s | 50 |
| 1920s | 103 |
| 1930s | 157 |
| 1940s | 451 |
| 1950s | 1,837 |
| 1960s | 15,952 |
| 1970s | 114,098 |
| 1980s | 69,431 |
| 1990s | 27,151 |
| 2000s | 8,522 |
| 2010s | 3,281 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 734 |
What Chad means
Chad probably means battle, from an Old English element. The derivation is not secure, and the name's real weight comes from its bearer rather than its sense.
Where Chad comes from
Chad is the Old English Ceadda, borne by a seventh-century bishop of Mercia whose humility was such that Bede records him being ordered by an archbishop to stop walking everywhere and accept a horse. His name is probably British rather than English and its meaning is uncertain, with battle the usual guess. The name faded and was revived in the twentieth century. Three unrelated things now share the sound: the central African country, named for Lake Chad; the hanging chad of the 2000 American election, a paper fragment from a punched card; and the internet stereotype, which is 2010s and has no connection to any of the rest.
Chad in use
Chad peaked in the United States in 1972, when 13,441 babies were registered, and is falling in our data. It now charts in three of the seven markets we track — 1080th in Canada, 1700th in the United States on 96 births and 4631st in England and Wales — across 247,752 lifetime births. Our records carry it from 1914, but almost all of that volume falls within thirty years of the peak.
How popular is Chad?
In 2025, Chad was given to 96 babies in the United States. It is used consistently but remains uncommon.
Where Chad is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Chad
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Chad also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Chad over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Chad in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
- Other forms
- Forms we hold no single language for — some are used across several, some are simply spelled differently.
- Chadwick
Sibling names for Chad
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Chad — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Chad
What does the name Chad mean?
Probably battle, though the derivation is not secure — the name's weight comes from Saint Chad rather than its sense.
Is Chad named after the country?
No. The country is named for Lake Chad and has no connection to the English name.
Who was Saint Chad?
A seventh-century bishop of Mercia, so humble that Bede records an archbishop ordering him to ride rather than walk.
How popular is Chad?
1700th in the United States, down from a 1972 peak of 13,441 births.
Is Chad a girl's or a boy's name?
Chad is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Chad?
Chad has 1 syllable.
Is Chad a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Chad currently ranks #1,080 in the United States. It has been falling over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.