Chief
- Gender
- Boy
- Say it
- CHEEF
- Origin
- English
- US rank, 2025
- #5,859 for boys
Chief is a boys' name of English origin, meaning “leader, head”. In 2025 it ranked 5,859th for boys in the US (15 babies).
What does Chief mean?
English: English word, via Old French from Latin caput 'head'
“leader, head”
English word for a leader, ultimately from Latin caput, head.
Is Chief a girl's or a boy's name?
Chief is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 15 boys in the US. Too few girls were given it to be listed.
How popular is Chief in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- #5,859among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 15about 1 in 110,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Steadydown 12% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 15 boys in the US were named Chief, making it the 5,859th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 3,272nd. Its busiest year was 2020, with 34 boys. It first appears in the records in 1919.
2025 had fewer boys named Chief than any year since 2013.
Half of all the boys named Chief in the US since 1880 were born between 2015 and 2022, the years shaded on the chart below.
Chief in the US, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 15 | #5,859 |
| 2024 | 26 | #4,069 |
| 2023 | 30 | #3,710 |
| 2022 | 27 | #3,992 |
| 2021 | 32 | #3,494 |
| 2020 | 34 | #3,272 |
| 2019 | 27 | #3,896 |
| 2018 | 20 | #4,735 |
| 2017 | 20 | #4,742 |
| 2016 | 17 | #5,314 |
| 2015 | 17 | #5,285 |
| 2014 | 17 | #5,248 |
| 2013 | 13 | #6,236 |
| 2012 | 9 | #8,152 |
| 2011 | 8 | #8,760 |
| 2010 | 0 | – |
| 2009 | 8 | #8,980 |
| 2008 | 6 | #11,030 |
| 2007 | 6 | #10,915 |
| 2006 | 5 | #12,048 |
| 2005 | 6 | #10,144 |
| 2004 | 0 | – |
| 2003 | 0 | – |
| 2002 | 0 | – |
| 2001 | 0 | – |
| 2000 | 0 | – |
| 1999 | 0 | – |
| 1998 | 0 | – |
| 1997 | 0 | – |
| 1996 | 0 | – |
| 1995 | 0 | – |
| 1994 | 0 | – |
| 1993 | 0 | – |
| 1992 | 0 | – |
| 1991 | 0 | – |
| 1990 | 0 | – |
| 1989 | 0 | – |
| 1988 | 0 | – |
| 1987 | 0 | – |
| 1986 | 0 | – |
| 1985 | 0 | – |
| 1984 | 0 | – |
| 1983 | 0 | – |
| 1982 | 0 | – |
| 1981 | 0 | – |
| 1980 | 0 | – |
| 1979 | 0 | – |
| 1978 | 0 | – |
| 1977 | 0 | – |
| 1976 | 0 | – |
| 1975 | 0 | – |
| 1974 | 0 | – |
| 1973 | 0 | – |
| 1972 | 0 | – |
| 1971 | 0 | – |
| 1970 | 0 | – |
| 1969 | 0 | – |
| 1968 | 0 | – |
| 1967 | 0 | – |
| 1966 | 0 | – |
| 1965 | 0 | – |
| 1964 | 0 | – |
| 1963 | 0 | – |
| 1962 | 0 | – |
| 1961 | 0 | – |
| 1960 | 0 | – |
| 1959 | 0 | – |
| 1958 | 0 | – |
| 1957 | 0 | – |
| 1956 | 0 | – |
| 1955 | 0 | – |
| 1954 | 0 | – |
| 1953 | 0 | – |
| 1952 | 0 | – |
| 1951 | 0 | – |
| 1950 | 0 | – |
| 1949 | 0 | – |
| 1948 | 0 | – |
| 1947 | 0 | – |
| 1946 | 0 | – |
| 1945 | 0 | – |
| 1944 | 0 | – |
| 1943 | 0 | – |
| 1942 | 0 | – |
| 1941 | 0 | – |
| 1940 | 0 | – |
| 1939 | 0 | – |
| 1938 | 0 | – |
| 1937 | 0 | – |
| 1936 | 0 | – |
| 1935 | 0 | – |
| 1934 | 0 | – |
| 1933 | 0 | – |
| 1932 | 0 | – |
| 1931 | 0 | – |
| 1930 | 0 | – |
| 1929 | 0 | – |
| 1928 | 0 | – |
| 1927 | 0 | – |
| 1926 | 0 | – |
| 1925 | 0 | – |
| 1924 | 0 | – |
| 1923 | 0 | – |
| 1922 | 0 | – |
| 1921 | 0 | – |
| 1920 | 0 | – |
| 1919 | 5 | #4,167 |
Names like Chief
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Om Obi Tadeo Atom Ayomide Crew Chozen Kobe Omari Kwame Tru Onyx
More English names
Lily Evelyn Hudson Ivy Harper Grace Violet Willow Daisy Poppy Riley Oakley Mason Cooper Ruby Hallie
Sources
Figures from Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Chief: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/chief, updated 20 October 2026.