Chinmay
A name of Sanskrit origin meaning "pure consciousness".
Name Census estimates that about 179 living Americans carry the first name Chinmay. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Chinmay today is around 17 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Chinmay births was 2008 (14 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Chinmay. 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 Chinmay with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
179
~ 1 in 1,914,829 Americans
Peak year
2008
14 babies that year
Average age
17
years old
2022 SSA rank
#12,695
Tracked since 1999
Census
Chinmay in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 730 people with the first name Chinmay, which placed it at #15,675 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
#15,675
National first-name rank
People counted
730
730 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Asian and Pacific Islander
96.8% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Chinmay
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Chinmay is Asian/Pacific Islander at 96.8%. The next largest groups are White (2.2%) and Two or More Races (0.4%). 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 Chinmay 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 Chinmay at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander96.8% · 707
- White2.2% · 16
- Two or more races0.4% · 3
- Black or African American0.3% · 2
- Hispanic or Latino0.1% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Popularity
Chinmay: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Chinmay from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 94 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Chinmay 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 Chinmay during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Chinmays live
Origin
Meaning and history of Chinmay
The given name Chinmay has its origins in the Sanskrit language, which has been spoken in the Indian subcontinent for several millennia. The name is derived from the Sanskrit words "chit," meaning consciousness or awareness, and "maya," meaning illusion or the cosmic veil of existence. Thus, the name Chinmay can be interpreted as "pure consciousness" or "the one who is free from the illusion of existence."
In Hindu philosophy and spiritual traditions, the concept of "Chinmay" is closely tied to the pursuit of self-realization and the transcendence of the material world. The name is often associated with spiritual enlightenment, inner peace, and the attainment of a higher state of being.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Chinmay can be traced back to ancient Hindu scriptures and spiritual texts, such as the Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita. These texts, which date back to around the 6th century BCE, contain references to the concept of "Chinmay" and its philosophical significance.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who have borne the name Chinmay. One of the most prominent figures was Chinmay Sadhu (1839-1909), a renowned Indian mystic and spiritual teacher who founded the Chinmay Mission, an organization dedicated to the dissemination of Hindu philosophy and spirituality.
Another notable figure was Chinmay Pandit (1890-1957), a renowned Indian classical musician and composer who made significant contributions to the world of Hindustani classical music. He was particularly known for his mastery of the sitar and his innovative approach to music composition.
In the literary realm, Chinmay Mishra (1935-2018) was a celebrated Indian writer and poet who wrote extensively in the Hindi language. His works explored themes of love, loss, and the human condition, earning him numerous accolades and literary awards.
Chinmay Tumbe (born 1980) is a contemporary Indian historian and author who has written extensively on the history of modern India. His works, such as "The Age of Pandemics" and "The Brahmin and the Fakir," have received critical acclaim for their in-depth analysis and scholarly approach.
Chinmay Kulkarni (born 1985) is an Indian cricketer who has represented the Indian national team in various formats of the game. He is particularly known for his skills as a left-arm spinner and has played a pivotal role in many of India's victories in international cricket.
These are just a few examples of individuals who have borne the name Chinmay throughout history, each making their mark in their respective fields and contributing to the rich tapestry of human culture and achievement.
People
Chinmay + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Chinmay 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
Chinmay: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Chinmay?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 179 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Chinmay 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 1,914,829 US residents.
Is Chinmay a common name?
We classify Chinmay as "Very Rare". It ranks above 72.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 181 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Chinmay most popular?
The single biggest year for Chinmay was 2008, when 14 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Chinmay is about 17 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Chinmay in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 730 people with the name Chinmay, or 0.24 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #15,675 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 Chinmay 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 Chinmay?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Chinmay leans strongly male. 720 people counted with this name were male (98.9%), compared with 8 female bearers (1.1%). 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 Chinmay?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Chinmay is Asian/Pacific Islander at 96.8%. The next largest groups are White (2.2%) and Two or More Races (0.4%). 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 Chinmay most often in the Census?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest reported group for people named Chinmay in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.8% (707 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 Chinmay in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Chinmay a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Chinmay 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 Chinmay still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Chinmay 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 Chinmay 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 Chinmay?
See how many people have the name Chinmay on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.