Chipper
Energetic, lively and buoyant in spirit or behavior.
Name Census estimates that about 407 living Americans carry the first name Chipper. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Chipper today is around 32 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Chipper births was 2021 (24 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Chipper. 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
407
~ 1 in 842,148 Americans
Peak year
2021
24 babies that year
Average age
32
years old
2024 SSA rank
#5,938
Tracked since 1945
Popularity
Chipper: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Chipper from the 1940s through to the 2020s, spanning 9 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 103 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Chipper 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 Chipper during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Chippers live
Origin
Meaning and history of Chipper
The name Chipper is a relatively modern English word with its origins in the early 20th century. It is believed to have derived from the word "chip," which initially referred to a small piece of wood or a thin slice of something. Over time, the word "chipper" came to describe someone who was lively, spirited, or in good spirits, similar to the sound made by a chipmunk or a bird.
The earliest recorded use of the name Chipper dates back to the 1920s, when it started to emerge as a nickname or pet name for children, particularly boys. It was likely chosen to reflect the energetic and cheerful nature of young children. However, there are no known historical references to the name in ancient texts, religious scriptures, or significant historical records.
One of the earliest notable individuals with the name Chipper was Chipper Jones, an American professional baseball player born in 1972. He played for the Atlanta Braves from 1993 to 2012 and was known for his consistent and productive career, earning him a spot in the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2018.
Another famous Chipper was Chipper Lowell, a Canadian professional ice hockey player born in 1924. He played for the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Detroit Red Wings, winning the Stanley Cup with the Maple Leafs in 1947. Lowell was known for his tenacity and grit on the ice.
In the world of entertainment, Chipper Jones Jr., born in 1988, is an American actor and musician. He is best known for his roles in television shows like "The Suite Life of Zack & Cody" and "The Suite Life on Deck."
Chipper Nave, born in 1929, was an American author and illustrator of children's books. He is renowned for his whimsical and imaginative stories, such as "The Beastly Feast" and "The Big Leaf Maze."
In the realm of sports, Chipper Wilson, born in 1957, was a professional American football player who played as a defensive back for the Miami Dolphins and the Dallas Cowboys in the National Football League (NFL) during the 1980s.
While the name Chipper may have started as a nickname, it has since gained popularity as a given name in its own right, reflecting the cheerful and energetic personalities of those who bear it.
Notable bearers
Famous people named Chipper
People
Chipper + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Chipper 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
Chipper: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Chipper?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 407 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Chipper 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 842,148 US residents.
Is Chipper a common name?
We classify Chipper as "Very Rare". It ranks above 82.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 446 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Chipper most popular?
The single biggest year for Chipper was 2021, when 24 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Chipper is about 32 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Chipper a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Chipper 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.
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.