Chancey
A variant spelling of the name Chancy, meaning "having good luck or fortune".
Name Census estimates that about 1,388 living Americans carry the first name Chancey. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 70.7% of registrations being male. The average person named Chancey today is around 38 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Chancey births was 1978 (69 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Chancey. 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.
People living today
1.4K
~ 1 in 246,941 Americans
Peak year
1978
69 babies that year
Average age
38
years old
2024 SSA rank
#7,836
Tracked since 1883
Gender
Gender distribution for Chancey
Chancey is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 1,726 total registrations, 1,221 (70.7%) were male and 505 (29.3%) were female.
Chancey as a male name
- Ranked #7,836 in 2024
- 10 male births in 2024
- Peak: 1978 (53 births)
Chancey as a female name
- Ranked #11,284 in 2024
- 8 female births in 2024
- Peak: 1991 (25 births)
Popularity
Chancey: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Chancey from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 14 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 418 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1980s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Chancey 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 Chancey during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Chanceys live
The SSA's state-level files cover 5 states and territories. Texas, Michigan, Tennessee recorded the most babies named Chancey, while Georgia, Mississippi, Tennessee recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 8 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Chancey
The name Chancey finds its origins in the Old French word "chance," which means "luck" or "fortune." This name emerged during the Middle Ages in regions where French was spoken, such as parts of modern-day France, Belgium, and Switzerland.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Chancey can be traced back to a 13th-century French manuscript, where it was used to refer to a person's fortunate circumstances. The name was likely bestowed upon individuals who were born into prosperous families or were believed to have been blessed with good luck.
In the 15th century, a notable figure named Chancey de Montfort was a prominent merchant in the city of Lyon, France. His success in trade and business ventures contributed to the association of the name with prosperity and good fortune.
During the Renaissance period, the name Chancey gained popularity among the nobility and upper classes, who often named their children with names that symbolized their aspirations for wealth and success. One such example is Chancey de Valois, a French noblewoman born in 1512, who was known for her lavish lifestyle and patronage of the arts.
In the 17th century, a famous English playwright named Chancey Marlowe (1564-1593) gained recognition for his works, including the renowned play "Doctor Faustus." His literary contributions helped to further spread the use of the name across Europe.
Another historical figure bearing the name Chancey was Chancey de Montaigne (1533-1592), a French Renaissance philosopher and writer, best known for his influential essay collection "Essais." His writings explored themes of luck, fortune, and the human condition, further solidifying the name's association with philosophical and intellectual pursuits.
As the name Chancey traversed various cultures and time periods, it maintained its connotations of good luck, prosperity, and success. While its usage may have waxed and waned over the centuries, the name continues to carry a rich history and symbolism that reflects the aspirations of those who bestowed it upon their children.
People
Chancey + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Chancey 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
Chancey: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Chancey?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,388 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Chancey 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 246,941 US residents.
Is Chancey a common name?
We classify Chancey as "Rare". It ranks above 92% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,726 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Chancey most popular?
The single biggest year for Chancey was 1978, when 69 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Chancey is about 38 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Chancey a male name?
Yes, 70.7% of people registered as Chancey in the SSA data are male. 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.
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.