Head to head · Boys' names
Chaim vs Davis
#666 vs #668 in 2025
Chaim is a whisker ahead (#666 vs #668 in 2025), but the curves point different ways: Chaim is holding its place on the charts, Davis is stepping back from its peak.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
The tale of the tape
The tape is even: Chaim and Davis each lead 3 measures of 6.
Ranks, counts and years are measured in the official US birth record; the classroom and living figures are estimates computed from it. The dot marks the side each measure favours on the charts — more common, not better.
What the records say
146 years of US births, drawn on one scale
Two curves, one scale
Who owned which decade
- 1880s: Chaim —, Davis #483 — Davis higher
- 1890s: Chaim —, Davis #511 — Davis higher
- 1900s: Chaim —, Davis #519 — Davis higher
- 1910s: Chaim —, Davis #535 — Davis higher
- 1920s: Chaim —, Davis #530 — Davis higher
- 1930s: Chaim —, Davis #547 — Davis higher
- 1940s: Chaim #2667, Davis #553 — Davis higher
- 1950s: Chaim #1361, Davis #626 — Davis higher
- 1960s: Chaim #1342, Davis #713 — Davis higher
- 1970s: Chaim #976, Davis #787 — Davis higher
- 1980s: Chaim #898, Davis #635 — Davis higher
- 1990s: Chaim #886, Davis #452 — Davis higher
- 2000s: Chaim #837, Davis #391 — Davis higher
- 2010s: Chaim #742, Davis #466 — Davis higher
- 2020s: Chaim #658, Davis #611 — Davis higher
Davis stood higher in every recorded decade — 15 of 15.
Rank by decade
| Decade | Chaim | Davis |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | — | #483 |
| 1890s | — | #511 |
| 1900s | — | #519 |
| 1910s | — | #535 |
| 1920s | — | #530 |
| 1930s | — | #547 |
| 1940s | #2667 | #553 |
| 1950s | #1361 | #626 |
| 1960s | #1342 | #713 |
| 1970s | #976 | #787 |
| 1980s | #898 | #635 |
| 1990s | #886 | #452 |
| 2000s | #837 | #391 |
| 2010s | #742 | #466 |
| 2020s | #658 | #611 |
Average national rank across each decade. A dash means the name sat outside the recorded top of that decade.
The names themselves
Meaning, roots, sound and the people who carried each
Where each name comes from
Chaim
life
From Hebrew chayyim, which is grammatically plural — the word for life comes in that form in Hebrew, as in the toast l'chaim, "to life."
Chayyim (Hebrew) → Haim (Sephardi) → Chaim (Ashkenazi/Yiddish) → Hyman (English anglicization)
How it traveled
The root is the Hebrew noun chayyim, "life," a common word in the Hebrew Bible long before it was anyone's name. It came into use as a personal name among Jews in medieval Europe and around the Mediterranean, taking the form Haim in Sephardi communities and Chaim among Ashkenazim, where Yiddish carried it for generations.
Davis
Son of David; David itself is Hebrew for "beloved"
The patronymic origin is not in doubt. Davis and Davies are the same formation: David's son, with the possessive worn down over centuries of use.
Dawid → David → Dewi → Davies → Davis
How it traveled
David reached medieval Britain through the Bible and through Dewi, the Welsh form borne by the patron saint of Wales, which made it one of the most-used baptismal names in the country. From it grew the patronymic Davies, and its variant Davis, until the two stood among the most frequent surnames in Wales and the English border counties.
Where a reading is contested the note says so — this page does not turn a guess into a fact. The chain is each name's recorded forms, oldest first; the story is its opening, told in full on the name's own page.
Out loud, and in short
Chaim
KHY-im
The opening ch is the guttural sound of Bach or challah, not the ch of chair. Many American English speakers say HY-im instead, and both are heard. It is two syllables, never rhyming with "time."
- Chaimke — Yiddish diminutive, used affectionately within family and community rather than in formal settings.
- Chaim'l — Another Yiddish diminutive, most often heard for children.
- Hy — English clipping, tied mainly to the Hyman generation and now uncommon for younger bearers.
- Chai — Informal short form; overlaps with the Hebrew word chai and, in English, with the tea.
Davis
DAY-viss
Stress on the first syllable. Rarely misread, though the final -s is sometimes softened to a z sound in casual speech.
- Dave — The obvious informal shortening; also stands entirely on its own as a given name, usually from David.
- Davy — Older short form of David, used affectionately and mostly within families.
- Day — An informal clip heard occasionally, more a family habit than a standard nickname.
Is it right for you
The differences that decide it, laid out by what you want
Choose by what you want
Choose Chaim if you want…
- a name on the way upup 7 places on the charts in five years
- a newer arrivalChaim entered the US charts in 1942
Choose Davis if you want…
- a name past its most crowded yearsDavis is stepping back from its peak
- a long American recordDavis was already in use when US records began in 1880
Each line is a measured difference between the two names — a rank, a count, a recorded form — never a judgement of either. Save the one that answers your question; it lands on your shortlist.
The trade-offs, name by name
Chaim
Strengths
- The meaning is settled and can be stated in one word — life — which is unusual clarity for a name this old.
- Centuries of unbroken use in Jewish communities, with no gap where the name fell out of the record.
- Four letters, one spelling that is standard in English-language use, and no competing modern respellings to choose between.
To consider
- The initial sound has no English equivalent. Outside communities that know the name, expect it to be read as "chame" or "chime," and expect to correct it more than once.
- The spelling and the pronunciation pull in different directions for English readers, so the name will often be said one way and written another until people learn it.
- Chaim reads as distinctly Jewish, and specifically Ashkenazi. That is the point of the name for many families, but it is worth naming as a fact about how it will be received.
Davis
Strengths
- A spelling almost every American already knows from the surname, so it is written correctly on the first attempt.
- Two syllables with clear first-syllable stress — easy to call across a yard and easy for a small child to say.
- Ready-made short forms in Dave and Davy, both in use for centuries.
To consider
- It still reads as a surname to many ears, which means occasional forms filled in the wrong order and the odd "and your first name?" It resolves quickly, but it happens.
- Davis is one of the most common surnames in the country, so check it against your own — and be aware that the Confederate president Jefferson Davis carried it, an association that surfaces more often in some regions than others.
- Because it sits so close to David, some people will default to calling him David or Dave without asking.
Documented properties of each name — how it spells, travels and shortens — not opinions about the child.
With your last name
Say both in full. The notes are facts about letters and sound — a rhyme, a shared initial, the monogram — not a verdict on either name.
Type a last name to hear Chaim and Davis in full.
Weighing the whole shortlist? Run the full comparison — up to eight names with your last name, initials, classroom projections and a printable report.
Decide together
Nobody names a baby alone
Still torn between Chaim and Davis?
Put both to the vote.
One link to your partner, your parents, your sister. Each of them gets the two names, a one-tap answer and room to say why — and every reply lands in one place.
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More than two in the running? Settle it with a bracket or run the full comparison with your last name.
More head-to-heads
Same measures, different pair. Sixty more are dealt daily in the arena.
Lists these names appear on
Where Chaim and Davis each sit in the library — alternatives in the same style, ranked by the same records.
Chaim or Davis — the short answers
- Which is more popular, Chaim or Davis?
- Chaim, in 2025: Chaim ranked #666 with 411 babies; Davis ranked #668 with 409 babies.
- Which name is rising faster, Chaim or Davis?
- Chaim. Over the last five years Chaim moved up 7 places; Davis moved down 115 places.
- Which is the older name, Chaim or Davis?
- Chaim entered the US charts in 1942; Davis was already in use when US records began in 1880. On the American record, Davis is the older name.
- How many people are named Chaim and Davis?
- About 11,500 people named Chaim are estimated to be alive in the US today. About 26,500 people named Davis are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- Will there be other Chaims or Daviss in the classroom?
- Chaim will almost certainly be the only one in school. Davis will almost certainly be the only one in school.
US figures from the Social Security Administration, 1880–2025. Votes are battle voters on this site, not the birth record. Data & methodology
Keep playing
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