Chaim
Chaim was the 666th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 411 babies. Its best year was 2022, when it ranked 607th with 462 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 49 places. More babies were named Chaim in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning life (Hebrew) · Hebrew
Say it KHY-im /ˈxaɪɪm/
- Rank in 2025
- #666 boys, up 7 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 411boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2022462 babies
- Total since 1880
- 12,078babies recorded
What does the name Chaim mean?
Chaim is the Hebrew word chayyim, life, used as a boys' name, as Wiktionary notes; the word is plural in form, as Hebrew words for life are. Wiktionary's German entry gives the same Hebrew source, ḥayyīm, life. The feminine is Chaya. The ch is the throaty sound heard in Scottish loch, and many English speakers say HY-im. US records show Chaim from the 1940s, with its highest numbers in recent years.
חַיִּים (Hebrew, “life”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Pronunciation: The ch is the throaty sound of Scottish loch.
Related names: Chaya, Hyman, Haim, Vital.
See also: Hebrew names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Chaim' (English section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- Wiktionary, entry 'Chaim' (German section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- US Social Security Administration, national baby-name data 1880-2025 (yob*.txt), team3 computation of first year recorded, US Social Security Administration (public domain)
Nicknames for Chaim
The usual nicknames for Chaim are Hymie.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Boys, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hymie | Traditional | — | — |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are boys given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Chaims go by each one.
Chaim popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 6 since 1985.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #666 | 411 |
| 2020 | #673 | 386 |
| 2010 | #859 | 245 |
| 2000 | #870 | 182 |
| 1990 | #893 | 132 |
| 1980 | #1,090 | 69 |
| 1970 | #1,117 | 54 |
| 1960 | #966 | 62 |
| 1950 | #1,828 | 17 |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Chaim, counting every spelling?
Chaim has no other common spelling that sounds the same. Counting every name's spellings together, it ranks #651 for boys in 2025, against #666 on the official list.
How many kids will share the name Chaim?
411 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Chaim (0.11 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Chaim born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 20 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Chaim.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Chaim?
About 11,600 people born in the US named Chaim are alive today, with a median age of 17; half are between 8 and 32. That makes Chaim mostly worn by children and young adults.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Chaim by state
How common Chaim was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in New Jersey (13.8×), New York (11.5×). In 41 states fewer than five boys a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Chaim: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Chaim, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Chaim · Sibling names for Chaim
Questions about the name Chaim
What does Chaim mean?
Chaim means “life (Hebrew)” (Hebrew origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Chaim?
Chaim was the 666th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 411 babies. Its best year was 2022, when it ranked 607th with 462 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 49 places. More babies were named Chaim in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Chaim a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Chaim in the US.
Where is Chaim most popular?
In 2021–2025, Chaim was most common in New Jersey (3.35 per 1,000 boys), followed by New York and Maryland.