Chemise
A name originating from the French for a loose undergarment.
Name Census estimates that about 39 living Americans carry the first name Chemise. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Chemise today is around 46 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Chemise births was 1982 (12 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Chemise. 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 Chemise. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
39
~ 1 in 8,788,573 Americans
Peak year
1982
12 babies that year
Average age
46
years old
1990 SSA rank
#13,362
Tracked since 1958
Popularity
Chemise: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Chemise from the 1950s through to the 1990s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 26 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
Chemise 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 Chemise during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Chemises live
Origin
Meaning and history of Chemise
The name Chemise is derived from the French word "chemise," which means "shirt" or "smock." It is believed to have originated in the late 16th or early 17th century, during a time when French fashion and culture had a significant influence across Europe.
Historically, the word "chemise" referred to a lightweight undergarment worn by both men and women, similar to a modern undershirt or slip. In the context of women's fashion, it was often a loose-fitting garment that served as an undergarment beneath gowns and dresses.
While the name Chemise is not directly associated with any specific historical figures or events, its origins are deeply rooted in the fashion and textile industry of that era. It reflects the importance of clothing and garments in the cultural landscape of the time.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Chemise can be found in the writings of French novelist and playwright Molière, who lived from 1622 to 1673. In his play "Les Précieuses ridicules" (The Affected Ladies), he makes a reference to a character named Chemise.
Another notable individual with the name Chemise was Chemise Alcott, an American suffragist and social reformer who lived from 1835 to 1923. She was a prominent figure in the women's rights movement and worked tirelessly for the advancement of women's equality.
In the realm of literature, Chemise Brontë was a British novelist and poet who lived from 1816 to 1855. She is best known for her novel "Jane Eyre," which is considered a classic of English literature and a significant work in the development of the bildungsroman genre.
Chemise Curie, a French physicist and chemist who lived from 1867 to 1934, was a pioneering figure in the field of radioactivity. She was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize and the first person to win the Nobel Prize twice, in different fields (Physics and Chemistry).
Lastly, Chemise Nightingale, a British social reformer and statistician who lived from 1820 to 1910, is renowned for her contributions to the field of nursing. She is considered the founder of modern nursing and played a crucial role in improving healthcare standards and practices during the Crimean War.
People
Chemise + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Chemise 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
Chemise: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Chemise?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 39 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Chemise 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 8,788,573 US residents.
Is Chemise a common name?
We classify Chemise as "Very Rare". It ranks above 50.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 43 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Chemise most popular?
The single biggest year for Chemise was 1982, when 12 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Chemise is about 46 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 Chemise in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Chemise a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Chemise 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 Chemise still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Chemise 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 Chemise 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 have Chemise as a first name?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.