Chaffee
A masculine name of uncertain origin, potentially relating to "chaff".
Name Census estimates that about 9 living Americans carry the first name Chaffee. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 50.0% of registrations being female. The average person named Chaffee today is around 52 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Chaffee births was 1975 (10 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Chaffee. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Chaffee. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
9
~ 1 in 38,083,815 Americans
Peak year
1975
10 babies that year
Average age
52
years old
1975 SSA rank
#5,589
Tracked since 1975
Gender
Gender distribution for Chaffee
Chaffee is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 10 total registrations, 5 (50.0%) were male and 5 (50.0%) were female.
Chaffee as a male name
- Ranked #5,589 in 1975
- 5 male births in 1975
- Peak: 1975 (5 births)
Chaffee as a female name
- Ranked #9,274 in 1975
- 5 female births in 1975
- Peak: 1975 (5 births)
Popularity
Chaffee: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Chaffee by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Chaffee during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 5 | 5 | 10 |
Geography
Where Chaffees live
Origin
Meaning and history of Chaffee
The name Chaffee has its origins in the old French language, derived from the word "chaffare" which means "to bargain" or "to trade". It likely emerged in the late medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century, as a surname for merchants or traders who engaged in commerce and bartering.
Historically, the name Chaffee was predominantly found in the regions of northern France, particularly in the areas around Paris and Normandy. In its earliest forms, it was sometimes spelled as "Chaffart", "Chaffare", or "Chaffard", reflecting the variations in pronunciation and spelling practices of the time.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Chaffee can be found in the writings of the French chronicler Jean Froissart, who mentioned a merchant named "Jehan Chaffart" in his chronicles from the 14th century. This suggests that the name was already in use during that period.
In terms of notable historical figures bearing the name Chaffee, one of the earliest was Adrien Chaffee (1520-1587), a French Protestant reformer and theologian who played a significant role in the religious struggles of the 16th century. Another prominent figure was Jean-Baptiste Chaffee (1677-1744), a French explorer and cartographer who mapped parts of the Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico region.
During the 18th century, the name gained some recognition with the birth of David Chaffee (1742-1819), a soldier and officer in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. He fought in several key battles and was later honored for his service.
In the 19th century, Adna Romanza Chaffee (1842-1914) was a notable American soldier and military leader who served in the American Civil War and the Spanish-American War. He rose to the rank of Lieutenant General and was instrumental in the campaigns against the Native American tribes in the American West.
Another historically significant figure was Christopher Chaffee (1846-1919), an American businessman and inventor who is credited with developing the first successful portable X-ray machine, which revolutionized medical imaging and diagnostics.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals who have borne the name Chaffee throughout history, reflecting its French origins and its association with various professions and fields over the centuries.
People
Chaffee + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Chaffee as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with C
Other first names starting with C with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Chaffee: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Chaffee?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 9 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Chaffee going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 38,083,815 US residents.
Is Chaffee a common name?
We classify Chaffee as "Very Rare". It ranks above 25.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 10 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Chaffee most popular?
The single biggest year for Chaffee was 1975, when 10 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Chaffee is about 52 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Chaffee in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Chaffee a female name?
Yes, 50.0% of people registered as Chaffee in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Chaffee still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Chaffee in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Chaffee can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people are called Chaffee?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.