Chava
Feminine · “life”
Chava is Eve in Hebrew — chavah, from the word for living, which Genesis glosses directly: she was called that because she was the mother of all living.
How old is the name Chava?
Chava first appears in US birth records in 1951 — 74 years ago. The typical Chava alive today was born around 2009, making them about 16 years old. About 3,500 people named Chava are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Chava most popular?
Chava peaked in 2024, reaching #1398 nationally. Today it ranks #1733, 335 places below that high. See the whole 2024 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From chai to Chava
The story of Chava
Chavah is named in Genesis 3, and the naming is explained on the page. The name has been used continuously in Jewish communities, and Sholem Aleichem's Tevye stories give it to one of the daughters — which Fiddler on the Roof carried to a wide audience. It appears in American records and is in current use.
Meaning
life, living one
From the Hebrew Chavah, connected in Genesis to chai, 'living' — the text says Adam named her so because she was the mother of all living. The gloss is in the verse itself, which makes the etymology unusually secure. English Eve comes through the Greek and Latin.
How the name formed
- chai
- Chavah
- Chava
Related forms: חוה · Eve · Chave
Pronouncing Chava
KHAH-vah
Two syllables, stress on the first in American use. The ch is a throat sound English does not have; Hebrew stresses the second syllable.
Nicknames for Chava
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1951
- Most girls named
- 2024160 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1398reached in 2024
- Change vs 2024
- −26.9%117 in 2025, from 160
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Chava in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- חוה in Hebrew — transliteration
- Eve in English — related form
- Chave in Yiddish — related form
Strongest US states over the last decade: New York, New Jersey, California.
Chavas among us
people named Chava are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 girl in 13,737 born in 2025 was named Chava
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
The Malina test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Chava's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Malina climbed just as high around 2009, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Malina's path sketches the road Chava is walking now.
Chava sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where Chava is headed
Chava looks set to keep climbing gently, with roughly 17% more babies a year by 2030 if the current curve holds.
Medium confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
Chava beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Chava in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US girls given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- The Bible explains the name on the page, which very few names can claim.
- The life meaning is transparent, undisputed and about as good as meanings get.
- Eve is available as a fully current English equivalent.
- The Hebrew ch has no English equivalent and will be flattened.
- The stress placement differs between Hebrew and American readings.
- It is closely associated with Jewish naming practice.
Nobody names a baby alone.
Put Chava to the vote.
Add it to a family vote or a couple’s swipe deck — the other person gets one card, a simple answer and room to say why. No app, no account for them.
Only the people you invite can see your list.
Already decided on Chava? Hide it among decoys and let them guess.
What they receive
Someone added a name to your list
Chava
Feminine · #1733 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Chavas are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 3,500 people named Chava are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Chava in 2025?
- Chava ranks #1733 among US girl names in 2025, with 117 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Chava?
- About 1 in every 13,737 US girls born in 2025 was named Chava — 117 in all.
- Will my child share the name Chava with classmates?
- Chava will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Chava
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Josephina#1733 · America#1733 · Jaylin#1733 · Iva#1733 · Huda#1733 · Alany#1733 · Sarina#1733 · Mei#1733
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Chava? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Chava and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
Compare side by sideIn a hurry? Just pick a winner — one tap, no sign-up, and you see how everyone else voted.
Weighing a whole shortlist? Add the rest in the builder, or settle it with a bracket.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
No advertising trackers and no data sellinghow we handle your dataindependent and founder-run, about Name Battle