Chanson
A French feminine name meaning "song" or "poem".
Name Census estimates that about 196 living Americans carry the first name Chanson. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Chanson today is around 21 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Chanson births was 2013 (14 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Chanson. 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
196
~ 1 in 1,748,747 Americans
Peak year
2013
14 babies that year
Average age
21
years old
2023 SSA rank
#7,830
Tracked since 1979
Popularity
Chanson: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Chanson from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 82 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2010s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Chanson 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 Chanson 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 Chanson
The name Chanson is a French word meaning "song" or "ballad." It traces its origins back to the Old French "chançon," which itself derived from the Vulgar Latin "cantiōnem," meaning "a song." The name likely emerged during the Middle Ages in France, when lyrical poetry and musical storytelling flourished.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Chanson can be found in the 12th-century "Chanson de Roland," an epic poem recounting the legendary deeds of Roland, a military leader serving under Charlemagne. This work, considered a masterpiece of the Old French literature, helped popularize the name among French nobility and troubadours.
In the 13th century, Chanson de Croisade (Song of the Crusade) was a collection of poems written by participants in the Albigensian Crusade against the Cathar heretics in southern France. This further solidified the association of the name with poetic and musical expression.
One of the earliest known individuals with the name Chanson was Chanson de Lille, a 13th-century French trouvère (a poet and composer of secular monophonic songs). Born around 1200, he was renowned for his courtly love songs and pastourelles (pastoral songs).
Another notable figure was Chanson d'Arras (c. 1240–1300), a French trouvère and composer of chansons and jeux-partis (poetic debates). His works were widely circulated and admired during his lifetime.
In the 15th century, Chanson de Salins (c. 1415–1470) was a French composer and singer known for his contributions to the Burgundian School of Renaissance music. He served as the chapel singer for Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy.
During the 16th century, Chanson de Courtois (c. 1520–1590) was a French Renaissance poet and composer who wrote numerous chansons, particularly in the Parisian style. His works were widely published and performed throughout France and Europe.
Throughout history, the name Chanson has been associated with the rich traditions of French poetry, music, and storytelling. Its origins and use reflect the enduring influence of these art forms in French culture and society.
People
Chanson + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Chanson 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
Chanson: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Chanson?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 196 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Chanson 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 1,748,747 US residents.
Is Chanson a common name?
We classify Chanson as "Very Rare". It ranks above 74% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 200 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Chanson most popular?
The single biggest year for Chanson was 2013, when 14 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Chanson is about 21 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Chanson a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Chanson 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.