Chance

#5,554 for girls in 2025, 22 births · #442 for boys in 2025, 711 births
Given to boys 97.5% of the time

Showing
Show data for
Peak · boys
1996 · 2,243 births
Debut · boys
5 births
In top 100 · boys
never
of 146 years
Total births · boys
54,622
since 1883

Chance over time

boys

Rank among boys' names. Chance has never cracked the top 100 here.

#1#10#100#1,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201997peak #154, 1996boys
Hover or use arrow keys to read values by year; click or press Enter to open that year.

Gaps mean fewer than 5 babies received the name that year, so the SSA doesn't publish it.

Show data table
Yeargirlsboys
rankbirthsrankbirths
2025#5,55422#442711
2024#4,77228#418762
2023#4,87327#377853
2022#5,46523#340985
2021#4,09035#3221,035
2020#5,85020#2791,202
2019#4,54630#2841,214
2018#4,00136#2701,321
2017#4,92227#2681,347
2016#4,34533#2721,347
2015#4,72529#2501,467
2014#4,26934#2441,534
2013#4,24334#2371,520
2012#4,70730#2381,513
2011#5,35825#2151,635
2010#5,10827#2441,440
2009#8,05815#2361,521
2008#5,14228#2501,403
2007#4,13137#2441,472
2006#3,66942#2741,269
2005#3,94236#2581,275
2004#3,07150#2501,321
2003#3,29144#2401,392
2002#4,28029#2331,450
2001#3,70335#2241,542
2000#3,98331#2121,694
1999#2,73750#2231,510
1998#2,75648#2091,542
1997#2,93441#1911,715
1996#2,51050#1542,243
1995#3,15236#1891,631
1994#2,98839#2161,347
1993#3,35133#301909
1992#4,68621#329773
1991#4,49722#328767
1990#4,38022#316794
1989#5,04917#327711
1988#5,59814#340622
1987#4,66017#358544
1986#5,75712#368508
1985#9,3076#313650
1984#4,16618#250879
1983#5,82411#556230
1982#9,2376#636186
1981#5,88511#621189
1980#5,54412#605207
1979#5,09213#514268
1978#5,56311#469296
1977#5,88810#695149
1976#6,6118#700140
1975#4,14115#611178
1974#4,04115#587184
1973#7,4356#689134
1972—#610167
1971#7,3886#586197
1970#7,9955#727127
1969—#694130
1968—#91063
1967#6,0426#720106
1966—#1,02750
1965—#1,27136
1964—#1,08249
1963—#1,05252
1962—#1,29536
1961—#3,0978
1960—#3,6656
1959—#3,2907
1958——
1957—#3,9935
1956—#3,9425
1955—#3,8865
1954——
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1950——
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1948——
1947—#3,0967
1946——
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1944—#2,6338
1943—#3,5385
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1924—#3,8676
1923——
1922—#3,8726
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1915—#3,8255
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1883—#8925
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First appearance
1883

The first year at least five boys were named Chance! It came in at #892, and was given to 5 baby boys.


Quietest stretch: 1883–1921, when fewer than 6 boys a year got the name.

Where Chance is popular in 1997

  • Rank in state
  • Top 10
  • 11–50
  • 51–100
  • 101–500
  • 501+
  • Not published
Alaska: #101 for boys · 10 births · 1 in 336 boysAKMaine: fewer than 5 boys named Chance, so not publishedMEVermont: fewer than 5 boys named Chance, so not publishedVTNew Hampshire: #180 for boys · 5 births · 1 in 1,190 boysNHWashington: #145 for boys · 52 births · 1 in 648 boysWAIdaho: #104 for boys · 20 births · 1 in 374 boysIDMontana: #60 for boys · 20 births · 1 in 201 boysMTNorth Dakota: #102 for boys · 10 births · 1 in 378 boysNDMinnesota: #218 for boys · 19 births · 1 in 1,518 boysMNIllinois: #233 for boys · 57 births · 1 in 1,397 boysILWisconsin: #191 for boys · 23 births · 1 in 1,249 boysWIMichigan: #193 for boys · 50 births · 1 in 1,186 boysMINew York: #481 for boys · 27 births · 1 in 4,255 boysNYMassachusetts: #333 for boys · 11 births · 1 in 3,298 boysMARhode Island: fewer than 5 boys named Chance, so not publishedRIOregon: #111 for boys · 44 births · 1 in 440 boysORNevada: #145 for boys · 18 births · 1 in 594 boysNVWyoming: #58 for boys · 13 births · 1 in 152 boysWYSouth Dakota: #97 for boys · 11 births · 1 in 352 boysSDIowa: #112 for boys · 33 births · 1 in 493 boysIAIndiana: #140 for boys · 52 births · 1 in 717 boysINOhio: #167 for boys · 66 births · 1 in 1,061 boysOHPennsylvania: #226 for boys · 38 births · 1 in 1,737 boysPANew Jersey: #814 for boys · 5 births · 1 in 9,618 boysNJConnecticut: #383 for boys · 5 births · 1 in 3,692 boysCTCalifornia: #274 for boys · 139 births · 1 in 1,767 boysCAUtah: #133 for boys · 34 births · 1 in 562 boysUTColorado: #165 for boys · 32 births · 1 in 781 boysCONebraska: #110 for boys · 24 births · 1 in 406 boysNEMissouri: #116 for boys · 68 births · 1 in 506 boysMOKentucky: #134 for boys · 33 births · 1 in 704 boysKYWest Virginia: #102 for boys · 20 births · 1 in 464 boysWVVirginia: #241 for boys · 24 births · 1 in 1,608 boysVAMaryland: #293 for boys · 14 births · 1 in 2,007 boysMDDelaware: fewer than 5 boys named Chance, so not publishedDEArizona: #166 for boys · 50 births · 1 in 687 boysAZNew Mexico: #190 for boys · 13 births · 1 in 820 boysNMKansas: #96 for boys · 42 births · 1 in 368 boysKSArkansas: #122 for boys · 26 births · 1 in 564 boysARTennessee: #182 for boys · 33 births · 1 in 1,051 boysTNNorth Carolina: #181 for boys · 44 births · 1 in 1,068 boysNCSouth Carolina: #157 for boys · 24 births · 1 in 841 boysSCDistrict of Columbia: fewer than 5 boys named Chance, so not publishedDCOklahoma: #63 for boys · 78 births · 1 in 258 boysOKLouisiana: #102 for boys · 62 births · 1 in 433 boysLAMississippi: #133 for boys · 24 births · 1 in 623 boysMSAlabama: #168 for boys · 27 births · 1 in 911 boysALGeorgia: #223 for boys · 40 births · 1 in 1,255 boysGAHawaii: #96 for boys · 14 births · 1 in 376 boysHITexas: #168 for boys · 194 births · 1 in 810 boysTXFlorida: #239 for boys · 60 births · 1 in 1,431 boysFL

Hover or tap a state for its numbers.

Top states · boys
  1. Wyoming#58 · 1 in 152
  2. Montana#60 · 1 in 201
  3. Oklahoma#63 · 1 in 258
  4. Kansas#96 · 1 in 368
  5. Hawaii#96 · 1 in 376

Best ever in a state: #50 in Wyoming, 1996.

Show every state
StateRankBirthsShare
Wyoming#58131 in 152
Montana#60201 in 201
Oklahoma#63781 in 258
Hawaii#96141 in 376
Kansas#96421 in 368
South Dakota#97111 in 352
Alaska#101101 in 336
Louisiana#102621 in 433
North Dakota#102101 in 378
West Virginia#102201 in 464
Idaho#104201 in 374
Nebraska#110241 in 406
Oregon#111441 in 440
Iowa#112331 in 493
Missouri#116681 in 506
Arkansas#122261 in 564
Mississippi#133241 in 623
Utah#133341 in 562
Kentucky#134331 in 704
Indiana#140521 in 717
Nevada#145181 in 594
Washington#145521 in 648
South Carolina#157241 in 841
Colorado#165321 in 781
Arizona#166501 in 687
Ohio#167661 in 1,061
Alabama#168271 in 911
Texas#1681941 in 810
New Hampshire#18051 in 1,190
North Carolina#181441 in 1,068
Tennessee#182331 in 1,051
New Mexico#190131 in 820
Wisconsin#191231 in 1,249
Michigan#193501 in 1,186
Minnesota#218191 in 1,518
Georgia#223401 in 1,255
Pennsylvania#226381 in 1,737
Illinois#233571 in 1,397
Florida#239601 in 1,431
Virginia#241241 in 1,608
California#2741391 in 1,767
Maryland#293141 in 2,007
Massachusetts#333111 in 3,298
Connecticut#38351 in 3,692
New York#481271 in 4,255
New Jersey#81451 in 9,618
Delaware———
District of Columbia———
Maine———
Rhode Island———
Vermont———

Ranks are within each state; “1 in N” is out of the boys born there that year. The SSA only publishes a name in a state when 5 or more babies of one sex got it.

See more about Chance
Momentum · boys
Falling
  • 24 spots since 2024 (#418 → #442)
  • 163 spots since 2020 (#279 → #442)
  • 192 spots since 2015 (#250 → #442)
  • Biggest jump: 307 spots in 1967 (#1,027 → #720)
  • Biggest drop: 190 spots in 1968 (#720 → #910)
Rise & fade · boys
113 yrs to peak
  • Debuted 1883
  • Peaked 1996 at #154 (2,243 births)
  • Births halved by 2021, 25 yrs later
Top of the charts · boys
Top 1,000 for 60 yrs
  • Top 10: never
  • Top 100: never
  • Top 1,000: 60 yrs · run 1967–2025
Share of babies · boys
1 in 845
  • Highest: 1 in 845 boys born in 1996 were named Chance (0.12%)
  • Latest: 1 in 2,402 boys born in 2025 (0.04%)
Era · boys
The 2000s
  • 26.3% of all boys named Chance (14,339) were born in this decade
Show by decade
DecadeBirthsBest rankAvg rank
1880s5#892 (1883)#892
1890s0——
1900s0——
1910s5#3,825 (1915)#3,825
1920s12#3,867 (1924)#3,870
1930s0——
1940s20#2,633 (1944)#3,089
1950s22#3,290 (1959)#3,778
1960s536#694 (1969)#1,481
1970s1,840#469 (1978)#619
1980s4,726#250 (1984)#437
1990s13,231#154 (1996)#246
2000s14,339#212 (2000)#242
2010s14,338#215 (2011)#252
2020s5,548#279 (2020)#363

All figures count published births only (names given to at least 5 boys in a year). Registrations before 1937 are incomplete, so early shares and totals run low.

Chance in 1997

girls
#2,934
41 births · 1 in 42,456 girls
boys
#191
1,715 births · 1 in 1,099 boys

Top girls' names in 1997

  1. #1Emily25,734
  2. #2Jessica21,045
  3. #3Ashley20,897
  4. #4Sarah20,716
  5. #5Hannah20,597
  6. #6Samantha20,170
  7. #7Taylor19,504
  8. #8Alexis17,171
  9. #9Elizabeth15,430
  10. #10Madison15,189
  11. #2,934Chance41

Top boys' names in 1997

  1. #1Michael37,562
  2. #2Jacob34,163
  3. #3Matthew31,517
  4. #4Christopher29,108
  5. #5Joshua28,289
  6. #6Nicholas27,258
  7. #7Andrew25,208
  8. #8Brandon25,197
  9. #9Austin25,118
  10. #10Tyler24,879
  11. #191Chance1,715
More about 1997

girls

1,740,710 girls got a published name in 1997; 1 in 42,456 of them was named Chance, which outranked 81.8% of the 16,163 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 11.3% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Chance
  1. #2,874Tai42
  2. #2,874Timara42
  3. #2,874Tova42
  4. #2,934Chance41
  5. #2,934Anthony41
  6. #2,934Ariela41
  7. #2,934Asma41
  8. #2,977Alexxus40
  9. #2,977Alexyss40
  10. #2,977Annissa40

Tied with 42 names at #2,934; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1996
Risers
  1. ↑ 9,582Yulisa#10,567 → #985
  2. ↑ 3,882Yulissa#4,306 → #424
  3. ↑ 2,634Tea#3,429 → #795
  4. ↑ 2,046Taya#2,901 → #855
  5. ↑ 1,202Julisa#1,930 → #728
Fallers
  1. ↓ 931Yamilex#707 → #1,638
  2. ↓ 477Suzette#998 → #1,475
  3. ↓ 457Chynna#834 → #1,291
  4. ↓ 396Moesha#547 → #943
  5. ↓ 377Daijah#975 → #1,352

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

boys

1,885,140 boys got a published name in 1997; 1 in 1,099 of them was named Chance, which outranked 98.2% of the 10,814 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 15.3% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Chance
  1. #187Derrick1,784
  2. #189Sebastian1,768
  3. #190Conner1,727
  4. #191Chance1,715
  5. #192Calvin1,707
  6. #193Gage1,702
  7. #194Max1,698
Biggest movers since 1996
Risers
  1. ↑ 1,420Jaret#2,145 → #725
  2. ↑ 712Kobe#1,265 → #553
  3. ↑ 580Ronaldo#1,465 → #885
  4. ↑ 420Jarett#1,334 → #914
  5. ↑ 416Gianni#1,093 → #677
Fallers
  1. ↓ 562Shaquille#662 → #1,224
  2. ↓ 373Dalvin#977 → #1,350
  3. ↓ 355Montel#990 → #1,345
  4. ↓ 328Codie#884 → #1,212
  5. ↓ 328Jair#884 → #1,212

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

See the top 100 for 1997 →