Chande
A feminine name of Indian origin meaning "bright" or "moon".
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Chande. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Chande today is around 22 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Chande births was 2004 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Chande. 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 Chande. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
2004
5 babies that year
Average age
22
years old
2004 SSA rank
#11,653
Tracked since 2004
Popularity
Chande: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Chande 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 Chande during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Chande
The given name Chande has its origins in the Sanskrit language, which was the primary liturgical language of ancient India. The name Chande is derived from the Sanskrit word "Chanda," which means "bright" or "shining." This suggests that the name was likely given to children with the hope that they would be radiant and luminous in their lives.
The earliest recorded use of the name Chande can be traced back to ancient Hindu texts and scriptures, such as the Vedas and the Upanishads, which date back to around 1500-500 BCE. The name was particularly popular among the Brahmin caste, who were the priestly class in ancient Indian society.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Chande was a renowned Sanskrit scholar and poet who lived in the 7th century CE. His full name was Chande Kavi, and he is best known for his epic poem "Chandeshvara-Kavya," which celebrated the exploits of the Hindu god Shiva.
In the 12th century, there was a famous saint and mystic named Chande Swami, who was revered for his spiritual teachings and his devotion to the divine. He is said to have lived in the region of present-day Rajasthan, and his teachings were influential in shaping the Bhakti movement, which emphasized devotional worship and personal devotion to the divine.
During the Mughal period in India, which lasted from the 16th to the 19th centuries, there was a notable figure named Chande Khan. He was a military commander who served under the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb and played a crucial role in several military campaigns and conquests.
In the 18th century, Chande Singh was a prominent leader of the Sikh community in the Punjab region. He was a skilled warrior and strategist who played a significant role in the Sikh struggle against the Mughal Empire and the Afghan invaders.
Another notable figure with the name Chande was Chande Prabhu, who lived in the 19th century and was a prominent social reformer and educator. He dedicated his life to promoting education and empowerment among the underprivileged communities in the western region of India.
These are just a few examples of the many individuals throughout history who have borne the name Chande, a name that has its roots in the ancient Sanskrit language and has been associated with luminosity, spirituality, and leadership across various cultures and time periods.
People
Chande + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Chande 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
Chande: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Chande?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Chande 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 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Chande a common name?
We classify Chande as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Chande most popular?
The single biggest year for Chande was 2004, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Chande is about 22 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 Chande in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Chande a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Chande 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.
Is Chande still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Chande 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 Chande 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 Chande?
You can see how many Americans are named Chande on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.