Chasity
A feminine name derived from chastity, meaning virtuous or pure.
Name Census estimates that about 23,222 living Americans carry the first name Chasity. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Chasity today is around 35 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Chasity births was 1976 (935 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Chasity. 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
23K
~ 1 in 14,760 Americans
Peak year
1976
935 babies that year
Average age
35
years old
1986 SSA rank
#4,045
Tracked since 1970
Census
Chasity in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 19,230 people with the first name Chasity, which placed it at #1,640 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
#1,640
National first-name rank
People counted
19K
19,230 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
6.4
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
57.3% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Chasity
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Chasity is White at 57.3%. The next largest groups are Black (27.7%) and Hispanic (7.8%). 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 Chasity 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 Chasity at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White57.3% · 11,021
- Black or African American27.7% · 5,325
- Hispanic or Latino7.8% · 1,502
- Two or more races4.5% · 860
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 332
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 190
Gender
Gender distribution for Chasity
Out of the 24,404 babies given the name Chasity since 1880, 99.9% were registered as female. The name sits firmly on the female side of the spectrum, with only a handful of male registrations across the entire dataset.
Chasity as a male name
- Ranked #6,895 in 1986
- 5 male births in 1986
- Peak: 1983 (8 births)
Chasity as a female name
- Ranked #4,045 in 2024
- 36 female births in 2024
- Peak: 1976 (935 births)
2020 Census snapshot
In the 2020 Census sex table, Chasity appears almost entirely female. Of the 19,224 people counted with this name, 99.9% were female and only a very small share were male.
Popularity
Chasity: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Chasity from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 7,109 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1980s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Chasity 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 Chasity during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Chasitys live
The SSA's state-level files cover 41 states and territories. Texas, Georgia, Tennessee recorded the most babies named Chasity, while Nevada, North Dakota, Montana recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 545 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Chasity
The name Chasity is derived from the Latin word "castitas," which means purity or chastity. It originated during the medieval period in Western Europe, particularly in regions with strong Christian influences.
The name Chasity was initially used as a descriptor for virtuous and pure individuals, often referring to religious figures or saints who embraced celibacy and moral uprightness. It later evolved into a given name, reflecting the desire of parents to instill these values in their children.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Chasity can be found in the writings of St. Augustine of Hippo, a renowned philosopher and theologian who lived from 354 to 430 AD. In his works, he frequently discussed the concept of chastity and its importance in spiritual growth.
During the Middle Ages, the name Chasity gained popularity among Christian communities as a symbol of religious devotion. Several notable figures bore this name, including Chasity of Arles, a 5th-century saint and abbess who founded a convent in southern France.
In later centuries, the name Chasity continued to be used, although its popularity waxed and waned over time. One prominent figure was Chasity Haynes, an English Puritan author and poet who lived from 1621 to 1692. Her works often explored themes of virtue and moral uprightness.
Another notable individual was Chasity Brent, an American Quaker minister and abolitionist who lived from 1823 to 1903. She was a vocal advocate for the abolition of slavery and women's rights, embodying the values associated with her name.
In the 19th century, Chasity Mckenzie, an Australian educator and social reformer (1825-1891), made significant contributions to improving education and social welfare in her country. Her unwavering commitment to moral principles aligned with the meaning of her name.
More recently, Chasity Melvin, an American civil rights activist born in 1937, played a pivotal role in desegregation efforts during the Civil Rights Movement. Her dedication to justice and equality resonated with the values represented by her name.
While the name Chasity has experienced fluctuations in popularity over the centuries, it remains a symbol of purity, virtue, and moral integrity, reflecting the enduring influence of its Latin roots and historical significance.
People
Chasity + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Chasity 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
Chasity: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Chasity?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 23,222 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Chasity 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 14,760 US residents.
Is Chasity a common name?
We classify Chasity as "Uncommon". It ranks above 98.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 24,404 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Chasity most popular?
The single biggest year for Chasity was 1976, when 935 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Chasity is about 35 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Chasity in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 19,230 people with the name Chasity, or 6.37 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #1,640 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 Chasity 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 Chasity?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Chasity appears almost entirely female. Of the 19,224 people counted with this name, 99.9% 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 Chasity?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Chasity is White at 57.3%. The next largest groups are Black (27.7%) and Hispanic (7.8%). 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 Chasity most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Chasity in the 2020 Census, accounting for 57.3% (11,021 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 Chasity in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Chasity a female name?
Yes, 99.9% of people registered as Chasity 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 Chasity still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Chasity 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 Chasity 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 Americans are named Chasity?
Want to know how many people have the name Chasity? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.