Chase
Meaning
hunter
The story
Chase began as an English surname for someone associated with the hunt, from the Middle English word chase. It moved into given-name use with the energetic clarity of an English verb and the established respectability of a surname. The US curve is modern and compact. Chase is almost absent through the first half of the twentieth century, begins to rise in the 1970s and 1980s, reaches its strongest levels in the 1990s and 2000s, and then eases through the 2010s and 2020s. No single famous Chase explains the movement; the name grew alongside Carter, Hunter, and other surname or action-flavored choices for boys. Its meaning is occupational rather than symbolic, but modern English hears the verb immediately, giving it a sense of motion the older surname did not need to announce. Chase is both inherited and active, which helps explain its lasting appeal.
Popularity, 1890–2024
Shape drawn from US Social Security baby-name records. Chase peaked in the 2000s.
When you meet Chase
Most people given the name Chase in the United States are teenagers or young adults today.
Estimated from US Social Security birth registrations and typical lifespans; a rough guide, not a rule.
The Chase deep dive
Whether you’re naming a baby or exploring your own name’s history, this is a personal letter, not a list: where Chase truly comes from, how it traveled, and what a century of records reveals. If you have grown a tree on nametree, it also considers how Chase fits with your family’s names and surname.
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