Chania
A Greek name meaning "splendid" or "alluring" in origin.
Name Census estimates that about 353 living Americans carry the first name Chania. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Chania today is around 24 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Chania births was 1999 (38 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Chania. 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 Chania with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
353
~ 1 in 970,975 Americans
Peak year
1999
38 babies that year
Average age
24
years old
2019 SSA rank
#14,168
Tracked since 1986
Census
Chania in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 399 people with the first name Chania, which placed it at #24,220 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
#24,220
National first-name rank
People counted
399
399 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
73.4% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Chania
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Chania is Black at 73.4%. The next largest groups are White (9.5%) and Hispanic (9.0%). 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 Chania 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 Chania at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American73.4% · 293
- White9.5% · 38
- Hispanic or Latino9.0% · 36
- Two or more races6.3% · 25
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.5% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 1
Popularity
Chania: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Chania from the 1980s through to the 2010s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 193 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Chania 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 Chania during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Chanias live
The SSA's state-level files cover 4 states and territories. New York, Georgia, New Jersey recorded the most babies named Chania, while Ohio, New Jersey, Georgia recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 5 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Chania
The name Chania has its roots in the Greek language and culture. It is derived from the ancient Greek name "Khania," which was the name of a city on the island of Crete in the Mediterranean Sea. The city was known for its strategic location and importance in maritime trade.
Chania is believed to have been derived from the Phoenician word "khanah," which means "port" or "harbor." This suggests that the name has a strong connection to the city's maritime history and its role as a significant port in ancient times.
In Greek mythology, Chania is associated with the goddess Ariadne, who was the daughter of King Minos of Crete. Ariadne is known for helping the hero Theseus navigate the Labyrinth and escape the Minotaur, a mythical creature that was half-man and half-bull.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Chania can be found in ancient Greek texts and historical records from the 5th century BC. These documents mention the city of Chania and its importance in the region.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Chania. One of the most famous was Chania Demetriadou (1856-1920), a Greek writer and feminist activist who fought for women's rights and education in Greece.
Another notable figure was Chania Mavromichali (1799-1828), a Greek revolutionary leader who played a significant role in the Greek War of Independence against the Ottoman Empire in the early 19th century.
In the realm of arts and culture, Chania Karagatsi (1926-2002) was a renowned Greek actress and singer who appeared in numerous films and theatrical productions throughout her career.
Chania Apostolou (1920-2008) was a prominent Greek lawyer and politician who served as a member of the Greek Parliament and held various ministerial positions.
Chania Bouzalou (1924-2018) was a Greek artist and sculptor whose works were exhibited internationally and celebrated for their unique style and representation of Greek culture.
These are just a few examples of individuals throughout history who have carried the name Chania, highlighting its rich cultural heritage and significance within the Greek tradition.
People
Chania + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Chania 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
Chania: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Chania?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 353 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Chania 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 970,975 US residents.
Is Chania a common name?
We classify Chania as "Very Rare". It ranks above 81% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 360 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Chania most popular?
The single biggest year for Chania was 1999, when 38 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Chania is about 24 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Chania in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 399 people with the name Chania, or 0.13 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #24,220 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 Chania 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 Chania?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Chania appears almost entirely female. Of the 403 people counted with this name, 99.0% were female and only a very small share were male. 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 Chania?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Chania is Black at 73.4%. The next largest groups are White (9.5%) and Hispanic (9.0%). 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 Chania most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Chania in the 2020 Census, accounting for 73.4% (293 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 Chania in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Chania a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Chania 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 Chania still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Chania 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 Chania 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 people are called Chania?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.