Given name & surname · also Hebrew
Chen
“having grace or favor”·“of the dawn”
Chen is used as a given name and a surname. Interpretations include “having grace or favor” and “of the dawn”. These belong to different or overlapping naming contexts.
Meaning & origin
What it means
Interpretations include “having grace or favor” and “of the dawn”. These belong to different or overlapping naming contexts.
Where it comes from
This spelling has been associated with Hebrew and Chinese naming traditions.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1977. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Chen through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 250
- 193 boys · 57 girls
- Most popular year
- 2007
- 14 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −44%
- Cooling
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for boys is 8 in 2024. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 6,337 as a first name in 2020; 233,798 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Chen’s family of names
In English usage, Chen as a surname shares an earlier linguistic root with Tan. In English usage, Chen as a surname has a related form in Ch'en. In English usage, Chen as a surname shares an earlier linguistic root with Chan.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Chen has relatives in 5 languages. Lines run from its Hebrew roots to each of them.
5 related names in 5 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 2
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 2
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 10
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
- Chandoublet · Tagalog, ceb
- Trandoublet · English
- Tandoublet · Tagalog, Indonesian
- 辰equivalent
- 臣equivalent
- Sumequivalent
- 諶equivalent
- 忱equivalent
Show 2 moreShow fewer
People named Chen
- Zhu ChenChinese-Qatari chess playerborn 1976
- Chen DanqingChinese-American artist, writer, and art criticborn 1953
- Chen YuelingRace Walkerborn 1968
- Xu ChenChinese badminton playerborn 1984
- Yao ChenChinese actressborn 1979
- Xue ChenChinese beach volleyball playerborn 1989
- Yang ChenChinese footballerborn 1974
- Liang ChenChinese tennis playerborn 1989
- Wang ChenHong Kong badminton playerborn 1976
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
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