Chick
A slang term used affectionately to refer to a young woman.
Name Census estimates that about 21 living Americans carry the first name Chick. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Chick today is around 77 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Chick births was 1916 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Chick. 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
- • The typical person named Chick is about 77 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Chicks were born before 1959.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Chick. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
21
~ 1 in 16,321,635 Americans
Peak year
1916
7 babies that year
Average age
77
years old
1958 SSA rank
#4,046
Tracked since 1906
Popularity
Chick: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Chick from the 1900s through to the 1950s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 23 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1920s peak, Chick remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Chick 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 Chick during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Chick
The given name Chick is derived from the Old English word "cycen," which means "young bird" or "chicken." It is believed to have originated in England during the Anglo-Saxon period, which spanned from the 5th to the 11th centuries.
The name Chick was initially used as a nickname or a term of endearment for young children, likely due to its association with small, delicate, and vulnerable creatures like baby birds. Over time, it evolved into a proper given name, although its usage has been relatively uncommon throughout history.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Chick can be found in the Domesday Book, a survey of land and property in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The book mentions a landowner named Chic, which is believed to be a variation of the name Chick.
In the 14th century, the name appeared in the form of "Chikke" in the "Subsidy Rolls of Cambridgeshire," a record of tax payments made by residents of the county. This suggests that the name was in use during the Middle Ages, although it remained relatively obscure.
One notable historical figure with the name Chick was Chick Gandil, an American baseball player who was involved in the infamous Black Sox Scandal of 1919. His full name was Arnold "Chick" Gandil, and he was born in 1888 and died in 1970.
Another famous individual with the name Chick was Chick Webb, an American drummer and bandleader who was a prominent figure in the swing era of the 1930s. His full name was William Henry "Chick" Webb, and he was born in 1905 and died in 1939.
In the 20th century, the name Chick gained some popularity in the world of sports, particularly in baseball. Chick Hafey, whose full name was Charles Victor Hafey, was an American baseball player who played in the major leagues from 1924 to 1937. He was born in 1888 and died in 1973.
Another notable figure with the name Chick was Chick Hearn, an American sportscaster who was best known for his work as the play-by-play announcer for the Los Angeles Lakers basketball team. His full name was Francis Dayle "Chick" Hearn, and he was born in 1916 and died in 2002.
Finally, Chick Corea, an American jazz pianist and composer, has been a prominent figure in the world of music since the 1960s. His full name is Armando Anthony "Chick" Corea, and he was born in 1941 and is still active today.
Notable bearers
Famous people named Chick
People
Chick + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Chick 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
Chick: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Chick?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 21 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Chick 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 16,321,635 US residents.
Is Chick a common name?
We classify Chick as "Very Rare". It ranks above 40.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 77 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Chick most popular?
The single biggest year for Chick was 1916, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Chick is about 77 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Chick a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Chick 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.
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.