Chiem
A Vietnamese masculine name meaning "protector or defender".
Name Census estimates that about 6 living Americans carry the first name Chiem. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Chiem today is around 38 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Chiem births was 1986 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Chiem. 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 Chiem. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
6
~ 1 in 57,125,723 Americans
Peak year
1986
6 babies that year
Average age
38
years old
1986 SSA rank
#6,060
Tracked since 1986
Census
Chiem in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 136 people with the first name Chiem, which placed it at #47,733 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
#47,733
National first-name rank
People counted
136
136 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.0
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Asian and Pacific Islander
95.6% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Chiem
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Chiem is Asian/Pacific Islander at 95.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and White (1.5%). 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 Chiem 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 Chiem at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander95.6% · 130
- Two or more races2.9% · 4
- White1.5% · 2
Popularity
Chiem: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Chiem 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 Chiem during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 6 | 0 | 6 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Chiem
The name Chiem has its origins in the ancient Khmer language, spoken by the people of present-day Cambodia and parts of neighboring countries. It is believed to have derived from the Khmer word "chiem," which means "to receive" or "to accept." The name is thought to have first emerged during the Angkorian period (9th to 15th century CE), when the Khmer Empire ruled over much of mainland Southeast Asia.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Chiem is found in the Angkor Wat inscriptions, a collection of stone carvings that adorned the famous temple complex in Siem Reap, Cambodia. These inscriptions, dating back to the 12th century, mention a high-ranking official named Chiem who served under the Khmer king Suryavarman II.
Throughout the centuries, the name Chiem has been borne by notable individuals in various fields. In the 14th century, Chiem Srei was a revered Khmer poet and author, whose works are still studied and celebrated today. Chiem Srei's literary contributions helped shape the cultural and linguistic landscape of Cambodia.
During the 16th century, Chiem Phauda was a renowned Khmer architect and engineer, credited with designing and overseeing the construction of several magnificent temples and monuments in the Angkor region. His masterpieces, including the Bayon and Baphuon temples, continue to stand as testament to his architectural prowess.
In more recent times, Chiem Samphan (born in 1926) was a prominent Cambodian politician and former head of state during the Khmer Rouge regime. Despite his controversial political career, his name serves as a reminder of the turbulent history of Cambodia in the latter half of the 20th century.
Another noteworthy figure is Chiem Pathetly (1926-2018), a celebrated Cambodian artist known for his vibrant paintings and sculptures that captured the essence of Khmer culture and traditions. His works have been exhibited in galleries and museums around the world, earning him international recognition.
While the name Chiem has its roots in the Khmer language and culture, it has transcended geographical boundaries and found its way into various communities worldwide. The name's historical significance and rich cultural heritage continue to resonate with individuals seeking a connection to their ancestral past.
People
Chiem + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Chiem 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
Chiem: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Chiem?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 6 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Chiem 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 57,125,723 US residents.
Is Chiem a common name?
We classify Chiem as "Very Rare". It ranks above 22.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 6 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Chiem most popular?
The single biggest year for Chiem was 1986, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Chiem is about 38 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Chiem in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 136 people with the name Chiem, or 0.05 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #47,733 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 Chiem 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 Chiem?
The 2020 Census sex table shows Chiem on both sides of the split. Of the 138 people counted with this name, 106 were male (76.8%) and 32 were female (23.2%). 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 Chiem?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Chiem is Asian/Pacific Islander at 95.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and White (1.5%). 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 Chiem most often in the Census?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest reported group for people named Chiem in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.6% (130 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 Chiem in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Chiem a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Chiem 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 Chiem still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Chiem 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 Chiem 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 Chiem?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.