Chadwick
Old English name meaning "royal road or path traveler".
Name Census estimates that about 12,249 living Americans carry the first name Chadwick. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Chadwick today is around 44 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Chadwick births was 1975 (714 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Chadwick. 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 Chadwick with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
12K
~ 1 in 27,982 Americans
Peak year
1975
714 babies that year
Average age
44
years old
2024 SSA rank
#4,325
Tracked since 1914
Census
Chadwick in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 9,355 people with the first name Chadwick, which placed it at #2,573 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
#2,573
National first-name rank
People counted
9.4K
9,355 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
3.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
78.2% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Chadwick
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Chadwick is White at 78.2%. The next largest groups are Black (13.8%) and Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Chadwick 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 Chadwick at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White78.2% · 7,314
- Black or African American13.8% · 1,287
- Two or more races3.7% · 348
- Hispanic or Latino2.0% · 188
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.5% · 139
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 79
Gender
Gender distribution for Chadwick
Out of the 13,272 babies given the name Chadwick since 1880, 99.8% were registered as male. The name sits firmly on the male side of the spectrum, with only a handful of female registrations across the entire dataset.
Chadwick as a male name
- Ranked #4,325 in 2024
- 24 male births in 2024
- Peak: 1975 (707 births)
Chadwick as a female name
- Ranked #11,582 in 1987
- 5 female births in 1987
- Peak: 1975 (7 births)
2020 Census snapshot
In the 2020 Census sex table, Chadwick appears almost entirely male. Of the 9,353 people counted with this name, 99.8% were male and only a very small share were female.
Popularity
Chadwick: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Chadwick from the 1910s through to the 2020s, spanning 12 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 5,728 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1970s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Chadwick 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 Chadwick during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Chadwicks live
The SSA's state-level files cover 41 states and territories. Georgia, North Carolina, Texas recorded the most babies named Chadwick, while Utah, Nevada, Idaho recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 254 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Chadwick
The name Chadwick originated from the Old English language, emerging sometime around the 7th century. It is composed of two elements: "ceað," meaning "battle" or "combat," and "wic," signifying a dwelling or settlement. Thus, Chadwick can be interpreted as "one who comes from the battle settlement" or "the warrior's dwelling."
This name holds historical significance as it reflects the Anglo-Saxon culture, known for their valor and prowess in warfare. The combination of these two components suggests that Chadwick may have been a name bestowed upon individuals born or residing in settlements established by warriors or those who had distinguished themselves in battle.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Chadwick can be traced back to the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. This historical document mentions a landowner named Cedewalla, which is believed to be a variation of the name Chadwick.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Chadwick. One such figure was Sir Andrew Chadwick (1580-1670), an English soldier and politician who served as a Member of Parliament during the English Civil War. Another prominent bearer was James Chadwick (1891-1974), a British physicist who received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1935 for his discovery of the neutron.
In the realm of literature, Charles Chadwick (1932-1967) was an American poet and translator known for his work in bringing the poetic traditions of Spain and Latin America to English-speaking audiences. Additionally, Lynn Chadwick (1914-2003) was a renowned British sculptor, recognized for his distinctive semi-abstract bronze and steel sculptures.
Lastly, we cannot overlook Chadwick Boseman (1976-2020), the acclaimed American actor best known for his portrayal of iconic figures such as Jackie Robinson, James Brown, and most notably, the Marvel superhero Black Panther. His powerful performances and dedication to his craft left an indelible mark on the entertainment industry and inspired countless individuals worldwide.
People
Chadwick + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Chadwick 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
Chadwick: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Chadwick?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 12,249 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Chadwick 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 27,982 US residents.
Is Chadwick a common name?
We classify Chadwick as "Uncommon". It ranks above 98% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 13,272 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Chadwick most popular?
The single biggest year for Chadwick was 1975, when 714 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Chadwick is about 44 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Chadwick in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 9,355 people with the name Chadwick, or 3.10 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #2,573 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 Chadwick 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 Chadwick?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Chadwick appears almost entirely male. Of the 9,353 people counted with this name, 99.8% were male and only a very small share were female. 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 Chadwick?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Chadwick is White at 78.2%. The next largest groups are Black (13.8%) and Two or More Races (3.7%). 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 Chadwick most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Chadwick in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.2% (7,314 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 Chadwick in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Chadwick a male name?
Yes, 99.8% of people registered as Chadwick in the SSA data are male. 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 Chadwick still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Chadwick 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 Chadwick 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 have the name Chadwick?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.