Chavis
Derived from the French name "Chavisse", a variant of "Chasvis" of unknown meaning.
Name Census estimates that about 868 living Americans carry the first name Chavis. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Chavis today is around 34 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Chavis births was 1980 (41 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Chavis. 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
868
~ 1 in 394,878 Americans
Peak year
1980
41 babies that year
Average age
34
years old
2024 SSA rank
#11,146
Tracked since 1957
Census
Chavis in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 725 people with the first name Chavis, which placed it at #15,757 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
#15,757
National first-name rank
People counted
725
725 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
68.6% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Chavis
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Chavis is Black at 68.6%. The next largest groups are White (17.4%) and Two or More Races (5.7%). 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 Chavis 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 Chavis at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American68.6% · 497
- White17.4% · 126
- Two or more races5.7% · 41
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 27
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.0% · 22
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 12
Popularity
Chavis: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Chavis from the 1950s through to the 2020s, spanning 8 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 291 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1980s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Chavis 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 Chavis during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Chavis' live
The SSA's state-level files cover 4 states and territories. North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia recorded the most babies named Chavis, while Florida, Georgia, South Carolina recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 29 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Chavis
The name Chavis originates from the Sanskrit language, with its roots traced back to ancient India, around the 5th century BCE. It is believed to be derived from the Sanskrit word "chavis," which means "brilliance" or "radiance." The name carries connotations of wisdom, enlightenment, and spiritual awareness.
One of the earliest recorded references to the name Chavis can be found in the ancient Hindu scripture, the Upanishads. In these sacred texts, the name is mentioned in connection with a revered sage or philosopher, though the exact details are shrouded in the mists of time.
As the name transcended geographical boundaries, it underwent various linguistic adaptations. In the medieval era, during the 9th century CE, the name appeared in Persian literature as "Chavish," referring to a renowned poet and mystic who was known for his profound insights and metaphysical musings.
The name Chavis also found its way into the Byzantine Empire, where it was recorded as "Chaviz" in historical chronicles from the 11th century. These records mention a Byzantine scholar and advisor to the emperor, who was highly regarded for his intellectual prowess and diplomatic skills.
In the 13th century, the name resurfaced in the Arabian Peninsula, where it was documented as "Chaves" in the writings of renowned Islamic philosophers and theologians. One notable figure bearing this name was Chaves al-Andalusi, a renowned mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the field of celestial mechanics.
Fast-forwarding to the 15th century, the name Chavis appeared in the annals of European history. Records from Spain and Portugal mention a Chavis de Almeida, a renowned navigator and explorer who accompanied Vasco da Gama on his historic voyage to India in 1498.
Throughout the centuries, the name Chavis has been borne by numerous individuals across various cultures and civilizations, each leaving their mark on the tapestry of human history with their brilliance, enlightenment, and intellectual pursuits.
People
Chavis + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Chavis 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
Chavis: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Chavis?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 868 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Chavis 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 394,878 US residents.
Is Chavis a common name?
We classify Chavis as "Very Rare". It ranks above 89.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 901 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Chavis most popular?
The single biggest year for Chavis was 1980, when 41 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Chavis is about 34 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Chavis in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 725 people with the name Chavis, or 0.24 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #15,757 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 Chavis 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 Chavis?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Chavis leans strongly male. 701 people counted with this name were male (97.6%), compared with 17 female bearers (2.4%). 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 Chavis?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Chavis is Black at 68.6%. The next largest groups are White (17.4%) and Two or More Races (5.7%). 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 Chavis most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Chavis in the 2020 Census, accounting for 68.6% (497 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 Chavis in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Chavis a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Chavis 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 Chavis still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Chavis 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 Chavis 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 Chavis as a first name?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.