China
A feminine name of French origin alluding to porcelain and pottery.
Name Census estimates that about 4,124 living Americans carry the first name China. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named China today is around 33 years old, and the year with the single highest number of China births was 1992 (245 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for China. 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 China with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
4.1K
~ 1 in 83,112 Americans
Peak year
1992
245 babies that year
Average age
33
years old
1997 SSA rank
#9,509
Tracked since 1885
Census
China in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 3,982 people with the first name China, which placed it at #4,613 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
#4,613
National first-name rank
People counted
4.0K
3,982 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
1.3
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
61.1% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for China
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named China is Black at 61.1%. The next largest groups are White (17.2%) and Hispanic (8.4%). 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 China 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 China at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American61.1% · 2,432
- White17.2% · 684
- Hispanic or Latino8.4% · 336
- Two or more races7.1% · 281
- Asian and Pacific Islander5.4% · 214
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 35
Gender
Gender distribution for China
Out of the 4,610 babies given the name China since 1880, 99.8% were registered as female. The name sits firmly on the female side of the spectrum, with only a handful of male registrations across the entire dataset.
China as a male name
- Ranked #9,509 in 1997
- 5 male births in 1997
- Peak: 1994 (5 births)
China as a female name
- Ranked #12,390 in 2024
- 7 female births in 2024
- Peak: 1992 (245 births)
2020 Census snapshot
In the 2020 Census sex table, China leans strongly female. 3,844 people counted with this name were female (96.6%), compared with 135 male bearers (3.4%).
Popularity
China: popularity over time
The SSA tracks China from the 1880s through to the 2020s, spanning 14 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 1,977 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
China 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 China during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Chinas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 24 states and territories. California, Michigan, Illinois recorded the most babies named China, while Connecticut, District of Columbia, Arkansas recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 96 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of China
China is a unique and intriguing name with a rich history that spans across cultures and time periods. Its origins can be traced back to ancient China, where it was likely derived from the word "Qin," which referred to the powerful Qin Dynasty that ruled from 221 to 206 BC. This dynasty was instrumental in unifying China and establishing a centralized government, leaving an indelible mark on the country's history.
During the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD), a famous poet and scholar named Du Fu (712-770 AD) penned a poem titled "Qin Ting," which celebrated the beauty and grandeur of the Qin region. This literary work further solidified the name's association with the ancient Chinese empire and its cultural heritage.
The name China also appears in ancient Buddhist texts, where it is sometimes used as a metaphor for enlightenment or the attainment of spiritual wisdom. In the Avatamsaka Sutra, a revered Buddhist scripture, the name is mentioned in connection with the concept of "pure lands," which are realms of spiritual transcendence.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name China. One of the earliest recorded examples is China Ikkyu (1394-1481), a renowned Zen Buddhist monk and poet from Japan. His unconventional teachings and eccentric lifestyle made him a celebrated figure in Japanese literature and culture.
In the realm of literature, China Achebe (1930-2013) was a Nigerian novelist and poet who played a pivotal role in the development of African literature. His acclaimed novel "Things Fall Apart" is considered a classic and has been translated into numerous languages, earning him global recognition.
Another prominent figure was China Harahap (1924-2015), an Indonesian politician and diplomat who served as the country's ambassador to various nations, including the United States and the United Nations. Her dedication to international relations and diplomacy left a lasting impact on Indonesia's foreign policy.
In the world of sports, China Jude (born 1993) is a Nigerian-American soccer player who currently plays for the San Jose Earthquakes in Major League Soccer. Her athletic achievements have earned her recognition as one of the rising stars in women's soccer.
Lastly, China Miéville (born 1972) is a renowned British author known for his works of speculative fiction and literary criticism. His novels, such as "Perdido Street Station" and "The City & The City," have garnered critical acclaim and numerous awards, cementing his place as a prominent voice in contemporary literature.
People
China + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with China 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
China: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named China?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 4,124 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for China 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 83,112 US residents.
Is China a common name?
We classify China as "Rare". It ranks above 96.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 4,610 babies have been registered with this name.
When was China most popular?
The single biggest year for China was 1992, when 245 babies received the name. The fact that the average living China is about 33 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was China in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 3,982 people with the name China, or 1.32 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #4,613 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 China 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 China?
In the 2020 Census sex table, China leans strongly female. 3,844 people counted with this name were female (96.6%), compared with 135 male bearers (3.4%). 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 China?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named China is Black at 61.1%. The next largest groups are White (17.2%) and Hispanic (8.4%). 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 China most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named China in the 2020 Census, accounting for 61.1% (2,432 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 China in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is China a female name?
Yes, 99.8% of people registered as China 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 China still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded China 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 China 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 people have the name China?
If you just want to know how many Americans are named China, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.