Chue
A Mexican-American boy's name of uncertain origin and meaning.
Name Census estimates that about 323 living Americans carry the first name Chue. It is a predominantly male name (98.5% of registrations). The average person named Chue today is around 36 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Chue births was 1990 (29 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Chue. 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
323
~ 1 in 1,061,159 Americans
Peak year
1990
29 babies that year
Average age
36
years old
2003 SSA rank
#11,188
Tracked since 1980
Census
Chue in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 1,498 people with the first name Chue, which placed it at #9,316 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
#9,316
National first-name rank
People counted
1.5K
1,498 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.5
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Asian and Pacific Islander
98.5% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Chue
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Chue is Asian/Pacific Islander at 98.5%. The next largest groups are White (0.5%) and Two or More Races (0.5%). 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 Chue 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 Chue at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander98.5% · 1,476
- White0.5% · 8
- Two or more races0.5% · 7
- Hispanic or Latino0.3% · 5
- Black or African American0.1% · 2
Gender
Gender distribution for Chue
Chue leans heavily male at 98.5% of total registrations, but 5 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Chue as a male name
- Ranked #11,188 in 2003
- 5 male births in 2003
- Peak: 1990 (29 births)
Chue as a female name
- Ranked #13,903 in 1993
- 5 female births in 1993
- Peak: 1993 (5 births)
2020 Census snapshot
The 2020 Census sex table shows Chue on both sides of the split. Of the 1,499 people counted with this name, 983 were male (65.6%) and 516 were female (34.4%).
Popularity
Chue: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Chue from the 1980s through to the 2000s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 184 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Chue 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 Chue during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Chues live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. California, Minnesota, Wisconsin recorded the most babies named Chue, while Wisconsin, Minnesota, California recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 68 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Chue
The name Chue is believed to have its origins in the Chinese language, dating back to ancient times. It is derived from the Chinese word "chu," which means "pearl" or "precious stone." The name was likely given to children in hopes that they would be as valuable and cherished as a rare gem.
In ancient Chinese texts and records, the name Chue can be found mentioned as early as the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC). During this period, it was a common practice to name children after auspicious objects or symbols that represented qualities such as beauty, purity, and rarity.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Chue was a renowned scholar and poet who lived during the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD). Known as Chue Zi, he was celebrated for his profound literary works and his mastery of the classical Chinese poetic form known as "shi."
Throughout history, the name Chue has been associated with individuals who have made significant contributions to various fields. For instance, Chue Lin (1785-1850) was a revered Taoist philosopher and author who wrote extensively on the principles of Taoism and its practical applications in daily life.
In the realm of art, Chue Wang (1632-1717) was a celebrated Chinese painter known for his intricate and meticulously detailed landscapes and bird-and-flower paintings. His works are considered masterpieces of the Ming Dynasty and are highly sought after by collectors and museums.
Another notable figure was Chue Fong (1906-1976), a pioneering Chinese-American architect who played a crucial role in introducing modern architectural styles to Hong Kong and China in the mid-20th century. His designs seamlessly blended traditional Chinese elements with contemporary Western influences.
During the 20th century, the name Chue gained recognition in the world of science with Chue Lee (1915-2003), a renowned physicist and academic. Lee made significant contributions to the field of particle physics and was a pioneer in the study of elementary particles and their interactions.
These are just a few examples of the many individuals throughout history who have borne the name Chue, a name that has remained closely tied to its Chinese roots and cultural significance.
People
Chue + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Chue 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
Chue: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Chue?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 323 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Chue 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 1,061,159 US residents.
Is Chue a common name?
We classify Chue as "Very Rare". It ranks above 80% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 334 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Chue most popular?
The single biggest year for Chue was 1990, when 29 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Chue is about 36 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Chue in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 1,498 people with the name Chue, or 0.50 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #9,316 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 Chue 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 Chue?
The 2020 Census sex table shows Chue on both sides of the split. Of the 1,499 people counted with this name, 983 were male (65.6%) and 516 were female (34.4%). 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 Chue?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Chue is Asian/Pacific Islander at 98.5%. The next largest groups are White (0.5%) and Two or More Races (0.5%). 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 Chue most often in the Census?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest reported group for people named Chue in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.5% (1,476 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 Chue in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Chue a male name?
Yes, 98.5% of people registered as Chue 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 Chue still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Chue 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 Chue 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 are named Chue?
Find out how many people have the name Chue on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.