Chayyim as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Chayyim

What is the meaning of the name Chayyim ?

The baby name Chayyim is a Male name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced /χaˈjim/ — KHAH-yeem; anglicized: /haɪm/ — HIME (as in 'Chaim').

Chayyim is Hebrew in Origin.

Chayyim is a Hebrew masculine given name from חַיִּים (Chayyim), literally “life” or “lives,” built on the Semitic root h-y-y meaning “to live.” The doubled y in this transliteration mirrors the two yods in Hebrew spelling; the initial sound is the guttural kh/ḥ. Though morphologically plural, the form conveys fullness of life and blessing, resonating with the Jewish toast l’chaim, “to life.”

Documented since Talmudic and medieval periods, the name has been borne by leading scholars and writers, including Ḥayyim Vital, Ḥayyim of Volozhin, and Chaim Nachman Bialik. Variants span communities and eras: Chaim, Chayim, Hayim, and modern Israeli Haim; Yiddish diminutives include Chaimke/Chaiml, with Anglicized forms Hyam and Hyman. Related surnames appear as Ben-Chaim/Ben-Ḥayyim. The feminine counterpart is Chaya. Frequently paired in double names (e.g., Chaim Yosef or Chaim David), Chayyim remains widely used in Israel and the Jewish diaspora.

⚙ We can't find Chayyim in any of the birth registries or name datasets we track. That's typically a sign of a rare name, a regional or traditional one, or a modern coinage. Either way, it's a name very few children share.