Chihiro
A feminine Japanese name meaning "thousand fathoms" or "thousand valleys".
Name Census estimates that about 113 living Americans carry the first name Chihiro. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Chihiro today is around 24 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Chihiro births was 2007 (14 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Chihiro. 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
113
~ 1 in 3,033,224 Americans
Peak year
2007
14 babies that year
Average age
24
years old
2022 SSA rank
#13,961
Tracked since 1989
Census
Chihiro in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 481 people with the first name Chihiro, which placed it at #21,195 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
#21,195
National first-name rank
People counted
481
481 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Asian and Pacific Islander
91.3% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Chihiro
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Chihiro is Asian/Pacific Islander at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.0%) and White (2.3%). 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 Chihiro 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 Chihiro at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander91.3% · 439
- Two or more races5.0% · 24
- White2.3% · 11
- Black or African American0.8% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino0.4% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 1
Popularity
Chihiro: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Chihiro from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 44 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Chihiro 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 Chihiro during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Chihiros live
Origin
Meaning and history of Chihiro
The name Chihiro is of Japanese origin, with roots that can be traced back to the late 7th century. It is a combination of two kanji characters, "chi" meaning "a thousand" and "hiro" meaning "to spread or extend." Together, the name carries the meaning of "widespread" or "reaching far and wide."
In ancient Japan, names were often bestowed upon individuals with the hope of instilling certain qualities or aspirations. The name Chihiro was likely given to children with the wish that their influence, accomplishments, or reputation would extend far and wide, reflecting the expansive connotation of the name.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Chihiro can be found in the Shoku Nihongi, a historical text from the 8th century. This chronicle mentions a Buddhist monk named Chihiro, who played a significant role in the propagation of Buddhism during the Nara period (710-794 AD).
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Chihiro. One of the most famous was Chihiro Iwasaki (1918-1994), a renowned Japanese artist known for his intricate woodblock prints depicting traditional Japanese landscapes and scenes from everyday life.
Another prominent figure was Chihiro Yamazaki (1923-1994), a pioneering Japanese engineer who made groundbreaking contributions to the development of high-speed rail technology. His work paved the way for the famous Shinkansen bullet train system in Japan.
In the realm of literature, Chihiro Fukami (1959-2012) was a celebrated Japanese novelist and essayist whose works explored themes of identity, relationships, and societal issues. Her novels, such as "The Traveling Cat Chronicles," gained widespread critical acclaim and were translated into multiple languages.
The name Chihiro also holds significance in the world of sports. Chihiro Ikeda (born 1989) is a Japanese professional baseball player who has played for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters in Nippon Professional Baseball since 2012.
Lastly, in the field of music, Chihiro Onitsuka (born 1975) is a Japanese singer-songwriter and record producer known for her unique blend of folk and electronic music. Her albums have received numerous accolades and she has collaborated with various artists across genres.
These are just a few examples of the diverse individuals who have carried the name Chihiro throughout history, each leaving their mark in their respective fields and contributing to the rich tapestry of cultural and artistic expression.
People
Chihiro + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Chihiro 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
Chihiro: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Chihiro?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 113 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Chihiro 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 3,033,224 US residents.
Is Chihiro a common name?
We classify Chihiro as "Very Rare". It ranks above 66.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 116 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Chihiro most popular?
The single biggest year for Chihiro was 2007, when 14 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Chihiro is about 24 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Chihiro in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 481 people with the name Chihiro, or 0.16 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #21,195 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 Chihiro 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 Chihiro?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Chihiro leans strongly female. 421 people counted with this name were female (88.3%), compared with 56 male bearers (11.7%). 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 Chihiro?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Chihiro is Asian/Pacific Islander at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.0%) and White (2.3%). 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 Chihiro most often in the Census?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest reported group for people named Chihiro in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.3% (439 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 Chihiro in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Chihiro a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Chihiro 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 Chihiro still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Chihiro 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 Chihiro 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 Chihiro?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.