Chaim is a distinctive choice, ranked #981 in 2024. Your child is likely to be the only Chaim in their class.
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UK Rank 2024
#981
US Rank #694
About the Name Chaim
Chaim has seen a notable decline in recent years, dropping 185 places in five years. It was most popular in 1996 at #704 โ parents choosing it today are making a deliberately counter-trend decision. The name has been a consistent presence in UK records since 1996.
Chaim is distinctive enough that your child will likely be the only one in both their class and their school โ standing out on every register.
In the US it ranks even higher at #694, where it enjoys a particularly strong following.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about the name Chaim
Unlikely. With around 31 UK babies named Chaim per year, your child will almost certainly be the only Chaim in his class, and possibly the only one in the whole school.
Chaim has been declining in UK popularity, dropping 185 places in the last five years. Its peak was #704 in 1996. Choosing it now means he is likely to be among the last of his generation with this name.
Chaim is more popular in the US (#694) than in the UK (#981). Names with strong rankings in both countries tend to have broad cross-cultural appeal, working well for international families or those with ties to both nations.
Notable people named Chaim include: Chaim Hames โ Chaim (Harvey) J.; Chaim Noll โ Chaim Noll is a German-Israeli writer and former journalist..
Chaim ranks #694 in the US top 1,000 (2024). It's recognised in America but considerably more popular in the UK.
31
UK babies named Chaim (2024)
< 1
Expected classmates with this name (class of 28)
~0.0
In a school of 600
↓ 185 places
Rank change (last 5 years)
🏫 Who else is in the room?
In a typical UK class of 28, highlighted children share the name Chaim
Likely around 1 other Chaim in the class
UK Popularity (1996–2024)
Rank and birth count · ONS official data
US Popularity (2020–2024)
Rank · SSA official data
✨ Similar names to Chaim
Names with a similar style — each with their own classroom story
Chaim (Harvey) J. Hames is a professor of history at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU), in Beer-Sheva, Israel, and the incumbent of the David Berg and Family Chair in European History.
Chaim Halberstam of Sanz (Hebrew: ืืืื ืืืืจืฉืืื ืืฆืื ื), known as the Divrei Chaim after the title of his writings, was the rabbi of Sanz (Polish: Nowy Sฤ cz), and the founding rebbe of the Sanz dynasty of Hasidic Judaism.
Chaim Herzog was an Irish-Israeli politician, military officer, lawyer and author who served as President of Israel from 1983 to 1993. Born in Belfast and raised primarily in Dublin, the son of Ireland's Chief Rabbi Yitzhak HaLevi Herzog, he immigrated to Mandatory Palestine in 1935.
Chaim Azriel Weizmann was a Russian-born Israeli statesman, biochemist, and Zionist leader who served as president of the Zionist Organization and later as the first president of Israel. He was elected on 16 February 1949, and served until his death in 1952.
Shemaryahu Yosef Chaim Kanievsky was an Israeli Haredi rabbi and posek. He was a leading authority in Haredi Jewish society on legal and ethical practice.
Chaim of Volozhin was a rabbi, Talmudist, and ethicist. Popularly known as "Reb Chaim Volozhiner" or simply as "Reb Chaim", he was born in Volozhin (now Valozhyn, Belarus) when it was a part of the PolishโLithuanian Commonwealth.
Chaim (Halevi) Soloveitchik (Yiddish: ืืืื ืกืึธืืึธืืืืืืฉืืง, Polish: Chaim Soลowiejczyk), also known as Chaim Brisker, was a rabbi and Talmudic scholar credited as the founder of the Brisker method of Talmudic study within Judaism. He was also a member of the Soloveitchik dynasty, the son of Yosef Dov Soloveitchik.