Chanze
A unisex name of African origin signifying "rebirth" or "good luck".
Name Census estimates that about 323 living Americans carry the first name Chanze. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Chanze today is around 17 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Chanze births was 2014 (20 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Chanze. 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
323
~ 1 in 1,061,159 Americans
Peak year
2014
20 babies that year
Average age
17
years old
2024 SSA rank
#8,410
Tracked since 1988
Census
Chanze in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 241 people with the first name Chanze, which placed it at #34,040 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
#34,040
National first-name rank
People counted
241
241 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
50.6% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Chanze
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Chanze is Black at 50.6%. The next largest groups are White (32.8%) and Hispanic (7.5%). 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 Chanze 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 Chanze at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American50.6% · 122
- White32.8% · 79
- Hispanic or Latino7.5% · 18
- Two or more races5.8% · 14
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.3% · 8
Popularity
Chanze: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Chanze from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 111 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Chanze remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Chanze 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 Chanze 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 Chanze
The name Chanze is believed to have its origins in the ancient Bantu languages of Central Africa, particularly in the regions that are now known as the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Angola. The name is thought to be derived from the word "chanza," which means "journey" or "adventure" in several Bantu dialects.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Chanze can be found in an ancient Kongo kingdom chronicle from the 15th century. The chronicle mentions a warrior named Chanze who was known for his bravery and skill in battle. This suggests that the name may have been associated with strength and courage in its early usage.
In the 16th century, there are records of a Chanze who was a prominent trader in the kingdom of Kongo. He was known for his travels and his ability to navigate the complex trade routes of the region. This further reinforces the connection between the name and the idea of journeying or exploring.
Throughout the centuries, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Chanze. One example is Chanze Mvuama, a renowned Kongo sculptor who lived in the late 18th century. His woodcarvings and masks are celebrated for their intricate details and cultural significance.
Another famous Chanze was Chanze Ngongo, a 19th-century Kongo poet and storyteller. His work played a crucial role in preserving the oral traditions and folklore of his people. His poems and stories often celebrated the beauty of nature and the resilience of the human spirit.
In the 20th century, Chanze Mwanza was a respected Congolese politician and diplomat who played a significant role in the country's struggle for independence from Belgian colonial rule. He served as a member of the Congolese National Movement and was a vocal advocate for self-determination and human rights.
While the name Chanze may not be as widely recognized globally as some other names, it carries a rich history and cultural significance within the Bantu-speaking communities of Central Africa. Its connection to the concepts of journeying, adventure, and exploration have been woven into its meaning over the centuries, reflecting the resilience and spirit of the people who have carried this name through generations.
People
Chanze + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Chanze 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
Chanze: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Chanze?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 323 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Chanze 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 1,061,159 US residents.
Is Chanze a common name?
We classify Chanze as "Very Rare". It ranks above 80% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 327 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Chanze most popular?
The single biggest year for Chanze was 2014, when 20 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Chanze is about 17 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Chanze in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 241 people with the name Chanze, or 0.08 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #34,040 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 Chanze 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 Chanze?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Chanze leans strongly male. 226 people counted with this name were male (90.4%), compared with 24 female bearers (9.6%). 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 Chanze?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Chanze is Black at 50.6%. The next largest groups are White (32.8%) and Hispanic (7.5%). 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 Chanze most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Chanze in the 2020 Census, accounting for 50.6% (122 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 Chanze in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Chanze a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Chanze 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 Chanze still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Chanze 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 Chanze 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 named Chanze?
Want to know how many Americans are named Chanze? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.