Chene
Variation of the French word "chêne" meaning oak tree.
Name Census estimates that about 71 living Americans carry the first name Chene. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 85.3% of registrations being female. The average person named Chene today is around 40 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Chene births was 1990 (11 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Chene. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Chene with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Chene. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
71
~ 1 in 4,827,526 Americans
Peak year
1990
11 babies that year
Average age
40
years old
1996 SSA rank
#8,112
Tracked since 1971
Census
Chene in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 183 people with the first name Chene, which placed it at #40,598 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
#40,598
National first-name rank
People counted
183
183 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
43.7% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Chene
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Chene is Black at 43.7%. The next largest groups are White (39.3%) and Two or More Races (9.3%). 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 Chene 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 Chene at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American43.7% · 80
- White39.3% · 72
- Two or more races9.3% · 17
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 6
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.7% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.6% · 3
Gender
Gender distribution for Chene
Chene leans heavily female at 85.3% of total registrations, but 11 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Chene as a male name
- Ranked #8,112 in 1996
- 6 male births in 1996
- Peak: 1996 (6 births)
Chene as a female name
- Ranked #11,790 in 1991
- 6 female births in 1991
- Peak: 1990 (11 births)
2020 Census snapshot
The 2020 Census sex table shows Chene on both sides of the split. Of the 183 people counted with this name, 69 were male (37.7%) and 114 were female (62.3%).
Popularity
Chene: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Chene from the 1970s through to the 1990s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 31 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Chene 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 Chene during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Chenes live
Origin
Meaning and history of Chene
The given name Chene has its origins in the French language and culture. It is a variation of the French word "chêne," which means "oak tree." The name is derived from the Latin word "quercus," which also means "oak."
The oak tree has long been a symbol of strength, endurance, and longevity in many cultures, including French culture. As such, the name Chene may have been given to children with the hope that they would embody these qualities.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Chene can be found in the 12th century, when it appeared in French historical records. During this time, the name was commonly used in regions of France where oak trees were abundant, such as the northern and central regions.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Chene. One of the earliest known was Chene de Brie, a 13th-century French nobleman and military leader who fought in the Crusades. Another notable bearer of the name was Chene d'Arcy, a French poet and philosopher who lived in the 15th century.
In more recent history, there have been several individuals named Chene who have achieved prominence in various fields. Chene Toscano (1921-2004) was a renowned Italian-American artist and sculptor known for his abstract works. Chene Dubois (1938-2015) was a French writer and journalist who authored several books on cultural and political topics.
Another notable individual with the name Chene was Chene Lamarche (1945-2010), a Canadian politician who served as a member of the National Assembly of Quebec for several years. Chene Beaumont (1958-present) is a French chef and restaurateur who has received numerous awards and accolades for his culinary achievements.
Overall, the name Chene has a rich history and cultural significance, particularly in French-speaking regions. Its connection to the oak tree and its symbolic meaning of strength and endurance have made it a popular choice for parents throughout the centuries.
People
Chene + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Chene 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
Chene: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Chene?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 71 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Chene 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 4,827,526 US residents.
Is Chene a common name?
We classify Chene as "Very Rare". It ranks above 59.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 75 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Chene most popular?
The single biggest year for Chene was 1990, when 11 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Chene is about 40 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Chene in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 183 people with the name Chene, or 0.06 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #40,598 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 Chene 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 Chene?
The 2020 Census sex table shows Chene on both sides of the split. Of the 183 people counted with this name, 69 were male (37.7%) and 114 were female (62.3%). 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 Chene?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Chene is Black at 43.7%. The next largest groups are White (39.3%) and Two or More Races (9.3%). 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 Chene most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Chene in the 2020 Census, accounting for 43.7% (80 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 Chene in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Chene a female name?
Yes, 85.3% of people registered as Chene 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 Chene still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Chene 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 Chene 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 Chene?
See how many people share the name Chene on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.