Chang
A masculine name of Chinese origin meaning "prosperous" or "free".
Name Census estimates that about 294 living Americans carry the first name Chang. It is a predominantly male name (98.4% of registrations). The average person named Chang today is around 39 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Chang births was 1982 (17 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Chang. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Chang with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
294
~ 1 in 1,165,831 Americans
Peak year
1982
17 babies that year
Average age
39
years old
2006 SSA rank
#10,754
Tracked since 1940
Census
Chang in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 7,244 people with the first name Chang, which placed it at #3,054 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#3,054
National first-name rank
People counted
7.2K
7,244 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
2.4
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Asian and Pacific Islander
93.4% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Chang
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Chang is Asian/Pacific Islander at 93.4%. The next largest groups are White (4.9%) and Two or More Races (0.7%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Chang described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Chang at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander93.4% · 6,767
- White4.9% · 353
- Two or more races0.7% · 50
- Black or African American0.6% · 40
- Hispanic or Latino0.4% · 29
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 5
Gender
Gender distribution for Chang
Chang leans heavily male at 98.4% of total registrations, but 5 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Chang as a male name
- Ranked #10,892 in 2006
- 6 male births in 2006
- Peak: 1994 (16 births)
Chang as a female name
- Ranked #10,754 in 1982
- 5 female births in 1982
- Peak: 1982 (5 births)
2020 Census snapshot
The 2020 Census sex table shows Chang on both sides of the split. Of the 7,243 people counted with this name, 5,123 were male (70.7%) and 2,120 were female (29.3%).
Popularity
Chang: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Chang from the 1940s through to the 2000s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 123 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Chang 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 Chang during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Changs live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. California, Kansas, Minnesota recorded the most babies named Chang, while Minnesota, Kansas, California recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 28 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Chang
Chang is a given name that originated from Chinese languages and cultures. It is derived from the Chinese word 常, which means "constant" or "evergreen." The name has been in use for centuries, with its earliest recorded examples dating back to ancient China.
In Chinese philosophy and literature, the concept of "chang" is often associated with the idea of permanence, stability, and a constant state of being. The name Chang may have been given to children with the hope that they would possess these qualities or embody the virtues of constancy and steadfastness.
One of the earliest notable figures with the name Chang was Chang Qu, a Chinese philosopher and strategist who lived during the 4th century BCE. He is known for his contributions to the development of the philosophical concept of "Tao" and his writings on military strategy.
Another historically significant individual with the name Chang was Chang Tsai, a Chinese philosopher and scholar who lived during the 11th century CE. He was a prominent figure in the Neo-Confucian movement and is known for his influential work, "The Western Inscription," which explored concepts of metaphysics and ethics.
In the realm of literature, Chang Sheng, a Chinese poet and calligrapher from the 8th century CE, is celebrated for his contributions to the Tang Dynasty's Golden Age of poetry. His works are renowned for their elegant style and profound insights into human nature.
Moving forward in history, Chang Kai-shek, a military leader and politician, played a pivotal role in shaping modern Chinese history. Born in 1887, he was the leader of the Nationalist government in China from 1928 to 1949, and his reign was marked by significant events, including the Chinese Civil War and World War II.
Another notable figure with the name Chang is Chang Tsong-zung, a Taiwanese politician and academic who served as the President of the Republic of China (Taiwan) from 2000 to 2008. Born in 1939, he played a crucial role in Taiwan's democratic transition and its pursuit of international recognition.
These are just a few examples of individuals throughout history who have carried the name Chang, a name that has its roots in ancient Chinese culture and philosophy, and has been associated with virtues of constancy, stability, and permanence.
People
Chang + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Chang 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
Chang: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Chang?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 294 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Chang 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 1,165,831 US residents.
Is Chang a common name?
We classify Chang as "Very Rare". It ranks above 79% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 312 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Chang most popular?
The single biggest year for Chang was 1982, when 17 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Chang is about 39 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Chang in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 7,244 people with the name Chang, or 2.40 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #3,054 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Chang in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Chang?
The 2020 Census sex table shows Chang on both sides of the split. Of the 7,243 people counted with this name, 5,123 were male (70.7%) and 2,120 were female (29.3%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Chang?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Chang is Asian/Pacific Islander at 93.4%. The next largest groups are White (4.9%) and Two or More Races (0.7%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Chang most often in the Census?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest reported group for people named Chang in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.4% (6,767 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Chang in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Chang a male name?
Yes, 98.4% of people registered as Chang 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 Chang still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Chang 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 Chang 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.
How many Americans are named Chang?
See how many Americans are named Chang on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.