The name Che is a Spanish language name derived from the Che people, an indigenous ethnic group from Argentina. The name has its origins in the Guarani language, spoken by the Che people and other indigenous groups in South America.

The word "che" in Guarani is believed to have been a greeting or an expression of affirmation, similar to "hello" or "yes" in English. It was likely adopted as a personal name by the Che people and later spread to other Spanish-speaking regions.

One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Che can be found in the chronicles of the Spanish conquistadors who explored and colonized parts of South America in the 16th and 17th centuries. These chronicles often referred to the indigenous inhabitants as "los Ches" or "the Ches."

The name gained widespread recognition in the 20th century due to Ernesto "Che" Guevara, the Argentine revolutionary and guerrilla leader who played a pivotal role in the Cuban Revolution. Che Guevara, born in 1928 and killed in 1967, became an iconic figure and a symbol of rebellion and resistance against oppression.

Other notable historical figures with the name Che include Che Qayum Khan, an Afghan military leader and governor in the late 18th century, and Che Kung-ming, a Chinese philosopher and poet from the 3rd century AD.

In literature, the name appears in the work of Gabriel García Márquez, the Nobel Prize-winning Colombian author, who featured a character named Che Guevara in his novel "The Autumn of the Patriarch."

Another historical figure named Che was Che Ree, a Nez Perce leader and warrior who fought against the United States government during the Nez Perce War in the late 19th century.

These are just a few examples of the rich history and cultural significance associated with the name Che, which has its roots in indigenous South American cultures but has since gained global recognition through various historical figures and cultural influences.