Chyenne
A feminine name derived from the French name of the Cheyenne Native American tribe.
Name Census estimates that about 1,344 living Americans carry the first name Chyenne. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Chyenne today is around 26 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Chyenne births was 1996 (113 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Chyenne. 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
1.3K
~ 1 in 255,026 Americans
Peak year
1996
113 babies that year
Average age
26
years old
1977 SSA rank
#5,994
Tracked since 1977
Gender
Gender distribution for Chyenne
Out of the 1,377 babies given the name Chyenne since 1880, 99.6% 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.
Chyenne as a male name
- Ranked #5,994 in 1977
- 5 male births in 1977
- Peak: 1977 (5 births)
Chyenne as a female name
- Ranked #15,679 in 2023
- 5 female births in 2023
- Peak: 1996 (113 births)
Popularity
Chyenne: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Chyenne from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 690 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
Chyenne 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 Chyenne during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Chyennes live
The SSA's state-level files cover 15 states and territories. California, Texas, Florida recorded the most babies named Chyenne, while Louisiana, Tennessee, Mississippi recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 28 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Chyenne
The name Chyenne finds its origins in the Native American Cheyenne tribe, who inhabited the Great Plains region of the United States. The Cheyenne were a nomadic people who followed the migration patterns of the bison herds, and their name is derived from the Sioux word "Shahiyena," meaning "red talkers" or "people of a different language."
The earliest recorded use of the name Chyenne dates back to the 18th century, when French explorers and fur traders encountered the Cheyenne tribe. In their writings, they often referred to the tribe as "Les Cheyennes" or "Chayennes," which eventually evolved into the modern spelling of "Chyenne."
One of the most notable historical figures with the name Chyenne was Chyenne Chief Black Kettle, who lived from around 1803 to 1868. He was a prominent leader of the Southern Cheyenne and was known for his efforts to maintain peace with the United States government. Tragically, he and his village were massacred by the U.S. Army at the Battle of Washita River in 1868.
Another notable Chyenne figure was Chyenne warrior Roman Nose, who lived from around 1830 to 1868. He was a fierce warrior and leader who played a significant role in the Cheyenne resistance against the encroachment of white settlers and the U.S. government.
In more recent history, Chyenne Potter was a renowned American artist and illustrator who lived from 1892 to 1973. She is best known for her illustrations in children's books and her work for magazines such as The Saturday Evening Post.
Chyenne Caraway, born in 1985, is a contemporary American actress and model who has appeared in various television shows and films, including "The Last Ship" and "Rosewood."
Chyenne Eccleston, born in 1998, is a Canadian singer-songwriter and musician who rose to prominence as a finalist on the reality singing competition "The Launch" in 2018.
While the name Chyenne has its roots in Native American culture, it has gained popularity as a given name across various cultures and ethnicities in recent decades, often chosen for its unique and distinctive sound.
People
Chyenne + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Chyenne 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
Chyenne: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Chyenne?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,344 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Chyenne 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 255,026 US residents.
Is Chyenne a common name?
We classify Chyenne as "Rare". It ranks above 91.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,377 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Chyenne most popular?
The single biggest year for Chyenne was 1996, when 113 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Chyenne is about 26 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Chyenne a female name?
Yes, 99.6% of people registered as Chyenne 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.
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.