Chizara
A feminine Nigerian name meaning "God protects her".
Name Census estimates that about 302 living Americans carry the first name Chizara. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Chizara today is around 9 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Chizara births was 2024 (27 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Chizara. 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 Chizara with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
302
~ 1 in 1,134,948 Americans
Peak year
2024
27 babies that year
Average age
9
years old
2024 SSA rank
#4,901
Tracked since 2005
Popularity
Chizara: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Chizara from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 173 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Chizara remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Chizara 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 Chizara during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Chizaras live
The SSA's state-level files cover 5 states and territories. Texas, Maryland, California recorded the most babies named Chizara, while New York, Georgia, California recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 16 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Chizara
The name Chizara is of Nigerian origin, derived from the Igbo language spoken primarily in southeastern Nigeria. It is a compound name, formed by combining the words "Chi" and "ezara."
In the Igbo culture, "Chi" refers to a personal spiritual guide or guardian spirit believed to accompany an individual from birth. The term "ezara" is thought to be derived from the word "ézáráchá," which means "to stay awake" or "to remain vigilant." When combined, the name Chizara can be interpreted as "your personal guardian spirit that stays awake" or "your vigilant spiritual guide."
Historically, the name Chizara has been associated with strength, resilience, and protection. In traditional Igbo society, it was often given to children as a symbol of the parents' hope for their child to be guided and safeguarded by their spiritual guardian throughout their life's journey.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Chizara can be found in the 19th century, during the era of the transatlantic slave trade. Chizara was the name of a young Igbo woman who was captured and enslaved but managed to escape and eventually became a leader in the resistance against slavery in her community.
Another notable figure with the name Chizara was a renowned Igbo healer and herbalist who lived in the early 20th century. She was widely respected for her deep knowledge of traditional Igbo medicine and her ability to treat various illnesses using natural remedies.
In more recent times, Chizara Nwachukwu (born 1986) is a Nigerian-American entrepreneur and advocate for women's empowerment. She founded a successful fashion and lifestyle brand that celebrates African culture and promotes economic opportunities for women in Africa.
Chizara Obiorah (born 1992) is a Nigerian author and poet whose works explore themes of identity, belonging, and the African diaspora experience. Her debut poetry collection, "Echoes of Home," received critical acclaim and was shortlisted for several literary awards.
Chizara Anigbogu (born 1995) is a Nigerian basketball player who currently plays professionally in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) for the Los Angeles Sparks. She was a standout player during her collegiate career at the University of Texas and has represented Nigeria in international competitions.
People
Chizara + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Chizara 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
Chizara: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Chizara?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 302 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Chizara 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 1,134,948 US residents.
Is Chizara a common name?
We classify Chizara as "Very Rare". It ranks above 79.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 304 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Chizara most popular?
The single biggest year for Chizara was 2024, when 27 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Chizara is about 9 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
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 Chizara in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Chizara a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Chizara 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 Chizara still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Chizara 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 Chizara 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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people are named Chizara?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.