Chiffon
A feminine French name meaning "cloth made from silk or cotton."
Name Census estimates that about 427 living Americans carry the first name Chiffon. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Chiffon today is around 48 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Chiffon births was 1979 (29 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Chiffon. 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.
People living today
427
~ 1 in 802,703 Americans
Peak year
1979
29 babies that year
Average age
48
years old
1995 SSA rank
#12,084
Tracked since 1961
Popularity
Chiffon: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Chiffon from the 1960s through to the 1990s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 165 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1970s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Chiffon 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 Chiffon during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Chiffons live
Origin
Meaning and history of Chiffon
The name Chiffon is not a traditional given name but rather a word derived from the French term "chiffe," which means a cloth or rag. It gained popularity in the late 19th century as a term for a lightweight, sheer fabric made from silk or synthetic fibers.
Chiffon as a fabric first appeared in the early 1800s, with the earliest recorded use of the term found in French fashion magazines from the 1830s. The fabric quickly became popular among the upper classes for its luxurious feel and elegant drape, and it was often used in the construction of evening gowns and other formal attire.
While Chiffon is not a traditional given name, it has been used occasionally as a unique or whimsical moniker, particularly in the United States. One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Chiffon was Chiffon Margarine, an American burlesque dancer and actress who was active in the early 20th century, born in 1886 and died in 1962.
Another notable individual with the name Chiffon was Chiffon Pie, an American singer and vaudeville performer who was popular in the 1920s and 1930s. She was born in 1898 and passed away in 1976.
In the world of literature, Chiffon appears as a character in the novel "The Lovely Bones" by Alice Sebold, published in 2002. Chiffon is the name of one of the deceased characters who helps guide the protagonist, Susie Salmon, through the afterlife.
While not a traditional given name, Chiffon has also been used as a stage name or pseudonym by various performers and artists throughout the 20th century. For example, Chiffon Davis was the stage name of an American drag queen and activist who was active in the LGBTQ+ community in the 1970s and 1980s.
Another individual with the name Chiffon was Chiffon Cake, a British burlesque performer and dancer who was active in the 1950s and 1960s. She was known for her flamboyant costumes and elaborate headdresses, which often incorporated chiffon fabric.
People
Chiffon + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Chiffon 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
Chiffon: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Chiffon?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 427 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Chiffon 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 802,703 US residents.
Is Chiffon a common name?
We classify Chiffon as "Very Rare". It ranks above 83% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 470 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Chiffon most popular?
The single biggest year for Chiffon was 1979, when 29 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Chiffon is about 48 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Chiffon a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Chiffon 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.
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.