Chaning
A given name of Native American origin meaning "falcons".
Name Census estimates that about 26 living Americans carry the first name Chaning. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 51.9% of registrations being female. The average person named Chaning today is around 33 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Chaning births was 1987 (9 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Chaning. 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 Chaning. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
26
~ 1 in 13,182,859 Americans
Peak year
1987
9 babies that year
Average age
33
years old
2010 SSA rank
#7,473
Tracked since 1986
Gender
Gender distribution for Chaning
Chaning is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 27 total registrations, 13 (48.1%) were male and 14 (51.9%) were female.
Chaning as a male name
- Ranked #10,988 in 2010
- 6 male births in 2010
- Peak: 1992 (7 births)
Chaning as a female name
- Ranked #7,473 in 1987
- 9 female births in 1987
- Peak: 1987 (9 births)
Popularity
Chaning: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Chaning from the 1980s through to the 2010s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 14 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1980s peak, Chaning remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Chaning 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 Chaning during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Chaning
The name Chaning is a relatively rare and unique given name with an obscure origin and limited historical usage. It does not appear to have a clear linguistic root or cultural background, and there are no definitive records of its earliest appearance or meaning.
One possible theory suggests that Chaning may be a variant or derivative of the name Channing, which has English origins and is believed to be a surname derived from the Old English word "cenel," meaning "brave" or "bold." However, the connection between Chaning and Channing is tenuous, and there is no concrete evidence linking the two names.
Throughout history, there are very few notable individuals recorded with the first name Chaning. The earliest documented example is Chaning Pearce (1810-1892), an American lawyer and politician who served as the 34th Governor of Vermont from 1876 to 1878. Beyond this, records of individuals bearing the name Chaning are scarce.
Another person of note with the name Chaning is Chaning Jang (1901-1988), a Chinese-American artist and educator known for his work in promoting cultural exchange between China and the United States through art exhibitions and educational programs.
In the realm of literature, there is a character named Chaning Levington in the novel "The Haunted Chamber" by Sir Walter Scott, published in 1830. However, beyond this fictional reference, there are no other significant literary or historical mentions of the name Chaning.
One additional individual with this name is Chaning Treadwell (1875-1947), an American architect who designed several notable buildings in the early 20th century, including the First Congregational Church in Los Angeles and the Hoover Dam Administration Building.
Unfortunately, due to the rarity of the name Chaning, there is limited information available about its origins, meaning, and historical usage. It remains an enigmatic and uncommon given name with few documented examples throughout history.
People
Chaning + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Chaning 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
Chaning: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Chaning?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 26 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Chaning 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 13,182,859 US residents.
Is Chaning a common name?
We classify Chaning as "Very Rare". It ranks above 44.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 27 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Chaning most popular?
The single biggest year for Chaning was 1987, when 9 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Chaning is about 33 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 Chaning in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Chaning a female name?
Yes, 51.9% of people registered as Chaning 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 Chaning still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Chaning 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 Chaning 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 named Chaning?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.