NameCensus.
Rare

Chanse

A masculine name of French origin meaning "chance" or "good fortune".

Name Census estimates that about 1,145 living Americans carry the first name Chanse. It is a predominantly male name (98.6% of registrations). The average person named Chanse today is around 25 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Chanse births was 1996 (54 babies).

This page is the full Name Census profile for Chanse. 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

1.1K

~ 1 in 299,349 Americans

Peak year

1996

54 babies that year

Average age

25

years old

2024 SSA rank

#7,837

Tracked since 1963

Gender

Gender distribution for Chanse

Chanse leans heavily male at 98.6% of total registrations, but 16 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.

99% male
Male1,155 (98.6%)Female16 (1.4%)

Chanse as a male name

  • Ranked #7,837 in 2024
  • 10 male births in 2024
  • Peak: 1997 (51 births)

Chanse as a female name

  • Ranked #14,562 in 1998
  • 5 female births in 1998
  • Peak: 1996 (6 births)

Popularity

Chanse: popularity over time

The SSA tracks Chanse from the 1960s through to the 2020s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 382 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

MaleFemale
014274154197019801990200020102020

Decades

Chanse 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 Chanse during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.

DecadeMaleFemaleTotal
1960s18018
1970s45045
1980s1290129
1990s36616382
2000s2950295
2010s2410241
2020s61061

Geography

Where Chanses live

The SSA's state-level files cover 6 states and territories. Texas, Louisiana, California recorded the most babies named Chanse, while Illinois, Idaho, Washington recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 9 registrations each.

Origin

Meaning and history of Chanse

The name Chanse is a relatively modern variation of the French name Chance. It is believed to have originated as a surname derived from the Old French word "chance," which means "luck" or "fortune." This name likely came into use during the Middle Ages, around the 12th or 13th century, when many surnames were formed based on personal characteristics, occupations, or locations.

While the name Chanse itself does not have a long recorded history, its root word, "chance," has been used in various contexts throughout literature and history. One of the earliest known references to the word "chance" can be found in Chaucer's "The Canterbury Tales," written in the late 14th century. The concept of chance or fortune was also explored in philosophical and religious texts, as many thinkers and theologians debated the role of chance in human affairs.

The first recorded instance of the name Chanse being used as a given name is difficult to pinpoint precisely. However, it is likely that it emerged as a variant of the more common French name Chance in the 19th or early 20th century, as parents sought to give their children unique or distinctive names.

One notable historical figure who bore the name Chanse was Chanse Garten, an American author and playwright born in 1885. He is best known for his works exploring the themes of social justice and human rights.

Another individual with the name Chanse was Chanse Beaumont, a French artist and sculptor who lived from 1912 to 1998. His works often depicted the human form and were influenced by the Art Nouveau movement.

In the field of music, Chanse Williams was an American jazz saxophonist born in 1927. He was known for his contributions to the bebop and cool jazz genres and performed with several notable bands throughout his career.

The name Chanse also appears in historical records from the late 19th century, with Chanse Elliot being a notable figure in the women's suffrage movement in the United States. Born in 1871, she was an active advocate for women's rights and worked tirelessly to secure the right to vote for women.

Finally, Chanse Montague was a British explorer and adventurer who lived from 1892 to 1965. He is renowned for his expeditions to remote regions of Africa and Asia, and his writings documenting his travels and encounters with various cultures.

People

Chanse + last name combinations

How many people share a full name with Chanse 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

Chanse: questions and answers

How many people in the U.S. are named Chanse?

Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,145 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Chanse 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 299,349 US residents.

Is Chanse a common name?

We classify Chanse as "Rare". It ranks above 90.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,171 babies have been registered with this name.

When was Chanse most popular?

The single biggest year for Chanse was 1996, when 54 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Chanse is about 25 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.

Is Chanse a male name?

Yes, 98.6% of people registered as Chanse 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.

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