Chadwyck
English name derived from Old English meaning "winding valley settlement".
Name Census estimates that about 36 living Americans carry the first name Chadwyck. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Chadwyck today is around 38 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Chadwyck births was 1991 (9 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Chadwyck. 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 Chadwyck. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
36
~ 1 in 9,520,954 Americans
Peak year
1991
9 babies that year
Average age
38
years old
1993 SSA rank
#8,913
Tracked since 1979
Popularity
Chadwyck: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Chadwyck from the 1970s through to the 1990s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 20 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
Chadwyck 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 Chadwyck during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Chadwyck
The name Chadwyck is an English given name with roots dating back to the Middle Ages. Its origins can be traced to the Old English words "caed" meaning "battle" and "wic" meaning "dwelling" or "village". Together, these elements form a compound word that roughly translates to "battle village" or "battle settlement".
In the early medieval period, surnames were often derived from the locations where people lived or were born. As such, Chadwyck likely originated as a locational surname referring to a specific place, perhaps a village or hamlet where military conflicts or battles had taken place. Over time, the surname transitioned into being used as a masculine given name.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Chadwyck appears in the Domesday Book, a detailed survey of landowners and properties commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The entry lists a landowner named "Chadwyck de Hamtone" (Chadwyck of Hampton) in Warwickshire, England.
During the Middle Ages, the name Chadwyck was primarily associated with the English gentry and nobility. Notable historical figures bearing this name include Sir Chadwyck de Montfort (1265-1318), a knight who fought alongside Simon de Montfort during the Second Barons' War against King Henry III.
In the 16th century, Chadwyck Healey (1501-1572) was a respected English scholar and translator who produced the first English translation of the ancient Greek text "The Histories" by Herodotus.
Another notable bearer of the name was Chadwyck Canning (1699-1771), a British politician and diplomat who served as Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire in the mid-18th century.
In more recent times, Chadwyck Boseman (1976-2020) was an acclaimed American actor best known for his portrayal of several iconic African American figures, including Jackie Robinson, James Brown, and King T'Challa in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
While not as common today as it once was, the name Chadwyck continues to be used, carrying with it a rich historical legacy and associations with strength, courage, and scholarly pursuits.
People
Chadwyck + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Chadwyck 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
Chadwyck: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Chadwyck?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 36 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Chadwyck 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 9,520,954 US residents.
Is Chadwyck a common name?
We classify Chadwyck as "Very Rare". It ranks above 49.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 37 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Chadwyck most popular?
The single biggest year for Chadwyck was 1991, when 9 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Chadwyck is about 38 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
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 Chadwyck in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Chadwyck a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Chadwyck 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 Chadwyck still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Chadwyck 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 Chadwyck 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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people are called Chadwyck?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.