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Chi

#6,595 in 2025UnisexGirls' nameBoys' name

Multiple documented origins; meaning depends on tradition

Chi has been given to 1,326 babies in the U.S. since 1970. In 2025 it ranked #6,595 of 17,293 girls’ names in use. Its peak year was 2023, with 32 recorded. It's used for both sexes: 58% girls, 42% boys all-time.

Babies named Chi, 2025

1 in 195,000

Chi over time, 1880–2025

GirlsBoys
01020304018801900192019401960198020002020

Based on births in the U.S. Babies given the name each year. Hover the chart — or focus it and use the arrow keys — for any year. Gaps mean the name was given fewer than 5 times that year; these counts are unpublished.

Girls or boys — Chi over time

In 2025, Chi went to 65% girls and 35% boys.

19702025

A sex is only published in years it reached five applications, so a stretch at 0% or 100% means the other side stayed under that floor — not that it was never used.

Chi: meaning, origin, and history

Multiple documented origins; meaning depends on tradition

Chinese

What Chi means

Chi has more than one naming route in the cited origin entries: distinct naming traditions.

The naming story behind Chi

One of the source’s documented entries for Chi records a meaning of branch.

One of the source’s documented entries for Chi records a meaning of god, spiritual being.

Origin, language, and formation

Chi is used in English and Vietnamese. Its origins include Chinese.

Pronunciation and spelling

In Vietnamese, Chi is pronounced [t͡ɕi˧˧].

American usage and historical context

In the United States, 763 girls were recorded with the name Chi between 1970 and 2025. Its highest annual count was 32 in 2023; its best national rank was #2,516 in 1973.

Over 5 years its rank rose, from #6,688 in 2020 to #6,595 in 2025. Over 10 years its rank rose, from #10,295 in 2015 to #6,595 in 2025.

In the United States, 563 boys were recorded with the name Chi between 1970 and 2025. Its highest annual count was 24 in 1985; its best national rank was #2,217 in 1983.

Over 5 years its rank fell, from #6,030 in 2020 to #8,375 in 2025.

Sources & methodologyReferences, data & attribution

Meaning, origin, and language notes draw on the references below.

American popularity figures use published Social Security Administration records for this exact spelling. Counts below five for a name, sex, and year are omitted.

Wiktionary material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

How common is Chi?

Everything below is computed from the 2025 data — the most recent year available.

Among all babies, 2025
1 in 195,000
17 of 3,315,165 births
Among girls only
1 in 94,500
<0.01% of girls
Rank, 2025
#6,595
of 17,293 girls’ names in use
Coin-flip room size
135,172 kids
Even odds of a second one

Where Chi sits on the popularity scale

Rarest published (5 a year)#1 — Olivia (13,544)

Chance at least one other child shares the name

If the other children were drawn at random from the 2025 national name distribution. Real classrooms cluster by region and community, so treat these as a floor, not a ceiling.

Class of 20Under 1%
Class of 30Under 1%
Grade of 100Under 1%
School of 500Under 1%

Put another way: gather 135,172 children born in 2025 and it's an even bet that one of them is another Chi. In a class of 30 the chance is Under 1%.

When Chis were born

Half of everyone ever recorded as Chi was born before 1991 — so the typical Chi is around 34 today.

Median birth year
1991
About 34 years old
Biggest decade
1980s
25.2% of all use
Born in the last 25 years
36.7%
Spread across generations
Recorded since 1950
763
People you could plausibly meet
Choose a decade

1980s — 25.2% of all recorded uses (192).

Is Chi rising or falling?

Rank movement and count movement can disagree — the number of distinct names in use keeps growing, so a name holding a steady count still slides down the list. Both are shown.

Rank vs 1 year ago
−144
Places dropped
Rank vs 5 years ago
+93
Places climbed
Rank vs 10 years ago
+3,700
Places climbed
Births vs 10 years ago
1.70×
More babies than then
Share of its own peak
53.1%
Peak was 2023 (32)
Years since peak
2
Years
Year-to-year steadiness
Volatile
47.7% average annual change
Best rank ever
#2,516
1973

Where Chi is used — girls

Across 1910–2025, Chi was most concentrated in California — about 1 in 100,000 girls, against 1 in 196,350 across all states with data. It was least common in Florida (1 in —).

01 per 100,000

Most concentrated

  1. 1California1 in 100,000
  2. 2Florida1 in —

Shading is the share of that state's recorded girls given this name, not the raw count — otherwise the map would just show which states are biggest. Unshaded states have no published records for this period. U.S. birth records suppress state-year counts below 5; state counts therefore don't add up to the national total. Every state links to its full rankings. Chi has too little recent state data to map, so this covers all years from 1910.

Where Chi is used — boys

Across 1910–2025, Chi was most concentrated in California — about 1 in — boys, against 1 in 575,557 across all states with data. It was least common in New York (1 in —).

00 per 100,000

Most concentrated

  1. 1California1 in —
  2. 2Minnesota1 in —
  3. 3New York1 in —

Shading is the share of that state's recorded boys given this name, not the raw count — otherwise the map would just show which states are biggest. Unshaded states have no published records for this period. U.S. birth records suppress state-year counts below 5; state counts therefore don't add up to the national total. Every state links to its full rankings. Chi has too little recent state data to map, so this covers all years from 1910.

Chi around the world

Where Chi ranks in official birth records elsewhere in the world. Rankings only — the number of births isn’t comparable between places, so it isn’t shown.

  • England & Wales
    1996–2024
    #5,892
    in 2024
  • Ireland
    2003–2003
    #655
    in 2003
  • France
    1962–1962
    #1,844
    in 1962
  • Canada
    1991–2006
    #2,939
    in 2006
  • South Australia
    1978–1996
    #712
    in 1996

Popularity data from Office for National Statistics, Central Statistics Office, Institut national de la statistique et des études économiques, Statistics Canada and Consumer and Business Services (South Australia). ONS data under Open Government Licence v3.0. CSO, CBS SA data under CC BY 4.0. INSEE data under Licence Ouverte / Etalab 2.0. StatCan data under Statistics Canada Open Licence.

Chi by the numbers

The raw record for each sex the name is used for.

As a girl's name

Rank in 2025
#6,595
Trend vs 5 yrs ago
Up 93
Best rank ever
#2,516
1973
Peak year
2023
32 that year
First recorded
1970
Last recorded
2025
All-time count
763
Count in 2025
17

As a boy's name

Rank in 2025
#8,375
Trend vs 5 yrs ago
Down 2,345
Best rank ever
#2,217
1983
Peak year
1985
24 that year
First recorded
1970
Last recorded
2025
All-time count
563
Count in 2025
9

Names similar to Chi

Matched on shared beginnings and endings, similar length, and comparable popularity.

ChiomaChisomSachiChiaChinaChideraRuchiChikaSaachiChizaraChiamakaChisaChiaraChimereChizaramXochiOgechiChiekoChiyoChiyokoChineloChiffonChianaChivon

Sibling names for Chi

Names from the same era and popularity tier — the two things that make a sibling set feel deliberate — skipping lookalike spellings and shared initials.

Explore around Chi

Top names of 2023, Chi's peak yearThe 2020s in fullOther names that peaked in 1973Girls' names starting with CVietnamese Girl NamesVietnamese Names