Chaucer
An English masculine name derived from the Old French word for shoemaker.
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Chaucer. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Chaucer today is around 10 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Chaucer births was 2016 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Chaucer. 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 Chaucer. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
2016
5 babies that year
Average age
10
years old
2016 SSA rank
#12,532
Tracked since 2016
Popularity
Chaucer: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Chaucer 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 Chaucer during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Chaucer
The name Chaucer is an English surname derived from the Old French word "chaucier," which means "hosier" or "maker of hose." It is believed to have originated in the Middle Ages, around the 12th or 13th century, when surnames were becoming more common in England.
The most famous bearer of this name is Geoffrey Chaucer, the renowned English poet and author of "The Canterbury Tales." He was born around 1343 and is considered the father of English literature. His works had a significant influence on the development of the English language and literature.
Another notable person with the name Chaucer was Philippa Chaucer, who lived in the 14th century and was the daughter of Geoffrey Chaucer. She is known for her literary contributions and for being a prominent figure in her father's life.
In the 16th century, there was a William Chaucer, who was a prominent English merchant and member of the Worshipful Company of Mercers in London. He played an influential role in the city's trade and commerce.
The name Chaucer also appears in the writings of Shakespeare, with a character named Chaucer in the play "The Two Noble Kinsmen," which was co-written with John Fletcher.
Another notable bearer of the name was John Chaucer, who lived in the 15th century and was a descendant of Geoffrey Chaucer. He was a prominent figure in the English court and held various positions of importance during his lifetime.
While the name Chaucer is not as common today as it once was, it remains a part of English literary and cultural heritage, forever linked to the genius of Geoffrey Chaucer and his enduring contributions to the English language and literature.
People
Chaucer + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Chaucer 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
Chaucer: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Chaucer?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Chaucer 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 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Chaucer a common name?
We classify Chaucer as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Chaucer most popular?
The single biggest year for Chaucer was 2016, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Chaucer is about 10 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 Chaucer in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Chaucer a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Chaucer 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 Chaucer still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Chaucer 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 Chaucer 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 called Chaucer?
Find out how many people share the name Chaucer on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.