Chonita
A feminine name derived from Spanish, possibly meaning "little cute one".
Name Census estimates that about 98 living Americans carry the first name Chonita. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Chonita today is around 62 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Chonita births was 1925 (11 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Chonita. 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.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Chonita. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
98
~ 1 in 3,497,493 Americans
Peak year
1925
11 babies that year
Average age
62
years old
1979 SSA rank
#8,195
Tracked since 1917
Census
Chonita in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 191 people with the first name Chonita, which placed it at #39,504 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
#39,504
National first-name rank
People counted
191
191 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
58.6% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Chonita
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Chonita is Black at 58.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (26.2%) and White (9.9%). 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 Chonita 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 Chonita at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American58.6% · 112
- Hispanic or Latino26.2% · 50
- White9.9% · 19
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.7% · 7
- Two or more races1.0% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 1
Popularity
Chonita: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Chonita from the 1910s through to the 1970s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 52 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
Chonita 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 Chonita during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Chonitas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Chonita
The given name Chonita has its origins in the Spanish language and culture. It is a diminutive form of the name Concepción, which is derived from the Latin word "conceptio" meaning "conception" or "beginning." The name is often associated with the Catholic feast day of the Immaculate Conception, celebrating the belief that the Virgin Mary was conceived without original sin.
The earliest recorded use of the name Chonita can be traced back to the 16th century in Spain and Spanish-speaking regions. It was particularly popular in areas with a strong Catholic tradition, such as Spain, Mexico, and parts of Central and South America. Over time, the name spread to other parts of the world through Spanish exploration and colonization.
One of the earliest notable figures bearing the name Chonita was Chonita de Arias (c. 1540-1610), a Spanish noblewoman from Seville. She was known for her philanthropic work and founded several charitable organizations in her hometown.
In the 18th century, Chonita Ruiz de Velasco (1725-1792) was a prominent figure in Mexican society. She was a wealthy landowner and philanthropist who supported various educational and religious institutions in New Spain (present-day Mexico).
The 19th century saw the rise of Chonita Rojas (1840-1915), a renowned poet and activist from Chile. She was a vocal advocate for women's rights and played a significant role in the Chilean literary scene of her time.
In the early 20th century, Chonita Espinosa (1901-1987) was a notable Mexican painter and muralist. She was part of the Mexican Muralism movement and was known for her vibrant depictions of indigenous culture and social issues.
Another notable figure with the name Chonita was Chonita Gutiérrez (1920-1995), a Cuban singer and actress. She was a celebrated performer in the golden age of Cuban music and appeared in numerous films and television shows throughout her career.
While the name Chonita has its roots in Spanish-speaking cultures, it has also been adopted and used in other parts of the world, including parts of the United States and Europe. However, its origins and cultural significance remain deeply rooted in the Hispanic tradition and the Catholic faith.
People
Chonita + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Chonita 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
Chonita: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Chonita?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 98 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Chonita 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 3,497,493 US residents.
Is Chonita a common name?
We classify Chonita as "Very Rare". It ranks above 64.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 213 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Chonita most popular?
The single biggest year for Chonita was 1925, when 11 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Chonita is about 62 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Chonita in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 191 people with the name Chonita, or 0.06 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #39,504 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 Chonita 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 Chonita?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Chonita appears almost entirely female. Of the 188 people counted with this name, 99.5% were female and only a very small share were male. 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 Chonita?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Chonita is Black at 58.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (26.2%) and White (9.9%). 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 Chonita most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Chonita in the 2020 Census, accounting for 58.6% (112 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 Chonita in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Chonita a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Chonita 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 Chonita still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Chonita 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 Chonita 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 share the name Chonita?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.