Is Chan a boy or girl name?

Chan is mostly a boy’s name. Of the 1,247 Americans recorded with the name since 1880, 17.0% were girls and 83.0% were boys. It changed hands in 1984, and has gone mainly to boys since.

Name Legacy

Chan

Recorded 1919–2025 · United States

Chan was most popular in 1982, when 38 American babies were given the name — ranking #3,928 that year. In 2025 it ranked #20,040, with 7 births. Across 1880–2025 the Social Security Administration has recorded 1,247 people named Chan.

Chan over time

Births per year. The dot marks Chan’s peak in 1982. Gaps are years the SSA suppressed, which it does for any name given to fewer than five babies.

Is Chan a boy’s or a girl’s name?

Across the whole record Chan is mostly a boy’s name — 17.0% of the 1,247 Americans given it were girls and 83.0% were boys. It changed hands: since 1984 it has gone mainly to boys, having gone mainly to girls before that. In births since 2016 it is 0% girls and 100% boys.

Counted from every US birth the Social Security Administration recorded under this name, so it reflects use rather than opinion. A name given to fewer than five babies of one sex in a year is withheld at source and is not counted.

Names that peaked alongside Chan

Where Chan is most concentrated

How much more common the name is in each state than across the country as a whole.

California 9.2×

Explore further

See Chan on the interactive charts

Source: U.S.A. Social Security Administration. Years 1880–2025. namelegacy.org