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Chen as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Chen

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The baby name Chen is a Unisex name , 1 syllables long and is pronounced {'Mandarin': "Chén — approx. 'chuhn' with a rising tone (pinyin: Chén) [tʂʰən˧˥]", 'Hebrew': "Chen — approx. 'kh-en' with a guttural 'ch' (like German 'Bach') [χen]"}.

Chen is Chinese, Hebrew in Origin.

Gender: Unisex
Syllables: 1.0
Origin: Chinese, Hebrew
Pronunciation: {'Mandarin': "Chén — approx. 'chuhn' with a rising tone (pinyin: Chén) [tʂʰən˧˥]", 'Hebrew': "Chen — approx. 'kh-en' with a guttural 'ch' (like German 'Bach') [χen]"}

What is the meaning of the name Chen ?

The baby name Chen is a Unisex name , 1 syllables long and is pronounced {'Mandarin': "Chén — approx. 'chuhn' with a rising tone (pinyin: Chén) [tʂʰən˧˥]", 'Hebrew': "Chen — approx. 'kh-en' with a guttural 'ch' (like German 'Bach') [χen]"}.

Chen is Chinese, Hebrew in Origin.

Chen is a cross-cultural name with two chief sources. In Mandarin pinyin, Chén (陳) is a major Chinese surname, linked to the ancient State of Chen in the Zhou era; the graph also means “to display/arrange.” As a given name, Chen can be written as 晨 “morning,” 琛 “treasure,” 宸 “imperial residence,” or 辰 “celestial sign,” all romanized as Chen despite different tones. It ranks among the most common surnames in China and the diaspora. Dialectal and historical variants include Chan (Cantonese), Tan (Hokkien/Teochew), Chin or Ch’en (older systems), with cognates Korean Jin and Vietnamese Trần.

In Hebrew, Chen (חֵן) - also transliterated Hen or Khen - means “grace, favor,” appears in the Bible, and is used for both genders in modern Israel. The name’s dual heritage supports global use as either a surname or succinct given name; diminutives are uncommon.

Chen has the following similar or variant Names

Famous people with the name Chen

Chen Shui-bian Politician · Born 1950 · Taiwan Chen Shui-bian is a Taiwanese politician who served as the President of Taiwan from 2000 to 2008. He was the first president from the Democratic Progressive Party, marking a significant shift in Taiwan's political landscape. His presidency is noted for efforts to assert Taiwan's identity on the international stage. Chen Kaige Actor · Born 1952 · People's Republic of China Chen Kaige is a prominent Chinese filmmaker best known for directing the film 'Farewell My Concubine', which won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival. He has also directed other notable films like 'The Emperor and the Assassin' and 'Together'. Born in 1952 in the People's Republic of China, Chen has made significant contributions to Chinese cinema.

Chen – Popularity by country

Based on birth registration data from national statistics agencies.

Country Gender Year Rank Born of
Ireland Boys 2012 #1 — 777
TW 0 #1 174 4,523
TW Girls 0 #4 744 8,139
KH Girls 0 #5 2 148
KH Boys 0 #6 4 270
CN 0 #7 111 3,857
TW Boys 0 #14 703 7,111
CN Boys 0 #16 1,117 9,639
CN Girls 0 #16 1,145 8,829
IL Girls 0 #27 2,844 11,648
BN 0 #30 3 2,297
IL 0 #31 579 6,291
SG 0 #38 328 11,010
ID 0 #39 1 2,238
PS 0 #39 257 5,692
MO 0 #48 5 2,706
LU 0 #66 1 2,830
SG Girls 0 #66 1,487 18,916
PS Girls 0 #73 1,188 10,981
JP 0 #75 3 4,057
BG 0 #82 1 1,799
ID Girls 0 #87 12 3,319
SG Boys 0 #92 1,660 17,960
BN Girls 0 #96 11 5,459
SD 0 #102 1 2,130
PH 0 #103 8 5,607
QA 0 #106 1 7,011
MY 0 #107 259 12,352
ID Boys 0 #112 20 4,130
BN Boys 0 #118 16 6,332
KW 0 #120 2 5,216
CY Girls 0 #125 1 3,755
MO Boys 0 #129 98 5,842
IL Boys 0 #131 1,208 10,983
JO 0 #140 1 2,158
BW Girls 0 #148 4 4,216
MT Girls 0 #151 3 3,773
MO Girls 0 #155 99 7,056
HU Boys 0 #170 5 3,954
MT Boys 0 #178 2 4,064
AE 0 #182 6 10,220
CZ 0 #186 1 3,154
LU Girls 0 #187 4 4,850
MY Boys 0 #198 2,245 25,439
DK 0 #206 1 5,198
MY Girls 0 #210 1,634 24,821
PS Boys 0 #210 537 10,655
PL 0 #212 1 2,600
AO Girls 0 #217 1 4,575
LU Boys 0 #217 4 4,970
BG Boys 0 #219 2 3,850
HU Girls 0 #223 3 3,308
JP Girls 0 #226 20 6,592
IR 0 #231 1 4,221
HK Girls 0 #233 598 16,104
EC Boys 0 #245 2 3,322
AO Boys 0 #246 4 5,568
GH 0 #248 1 5,396
NA Boys 0 #248 6 6,830
GR Girls 0 #249 1 6,293
PT 0 #250 1 4,161
HK Boys 0 #251 423 12,905
NG 0 #270 3 5,926
GR Boys 0 #273 1 6,912
JM Girls 0 #273 6 7,507
QA Girls 0 #276 41 15,378
JP Boys 0 #280 18 7,909
KZ Boys 0 #280 10 6,578
JM Boys 0 #287 7 6,876
HK 0 #292 57 8,483
HR Girls 0 #292 3 3,687
Canada Girls 2007 #300 6 2,781
CZ Boys 0 #300 6 6,530
SA 0 #304 9 10,560
PH Girls 0 #306 86 13,098
DK Girls 0 #325 5 7,429
DK Boys 0 #327 6 7,401
PE 0 #327 3 6,350
Canada Boys 2016 #328 6 2,391
KZ Girls 0 #332 1 5,862
GH Girls 0 #336 2 6,973
GT 0 #337 2 5,948
JO Girls 0 #338 2 7,570
PL Boys 0 #338 3 6,459
PH Boys 0 #340 44 11,440
PT Boys 0 #355 13 7,951
SD Girls 0 #358 1 7,678
BR 0 #360 1 5,969
GH Boys 0 #360 2 8,138
MU Girls 0 #362 1 8,539
MU Boys 0 #363 7 8,477
PL Girls 0 #364 1 5,096
OM Girls 0 #378 19 15,987
JO Boys 0 #389 1 7,057
YE 0 #398 1 8,639
France Boys 2015 #404 3 2,851
BD Girls 0 #405 2 8,413
UY Boys 0 #412 2 5,922
France Girls 2014 #415 3 3,259
Germany 0 #426 12 2,542
AR Boys 0 #442 26 7,628
GT Boys 0 #442 33 7,625
PT Girls 0 #442 10 7,952
MX 0 #444 2 8,339
PA Boys 0 #449 33 9,305
KW Girls 0 #451 65 19,177
SD Boys 0 #464 3 10,523
PA Girls 0 #471 11 9,861
CR Boys 0 #474 14 10,188
ZA 0 #474 1 14,421
AE Girls 0 #480 74 20,968
RU Girls 0 #488 11 11,913
RU Boys 0 #489 17 12,621
IQ Girls 0 #495 10 11,303
CO 0 #509 2 7,768
BH 0 #538 16 17,937
GT Girls 0 #539 3 7,500
IR Girls 0 #545 1 8,334
LY 0 #559 1 12,703
CM Girls 0 #560 1 11,671
IR Boys 0 #562 4 10,162
CR Girls 0 #568 6 11,342
CM Boys 0 #572 4 12,054
BO Boys 0 #581 12 9,244
BD Boys 0 #598 8 10,045
AR Girls 0 #629 2 8,289
CL Boys 0 #635 31 13,390
BO Girls 0 #651 1 9,488
IN Girls 0 #651 4 13,121
LB 0 #686 5 13,263
IQ Boys 0 #689 9 13,071
QA Boys 0 #691 17 18,093
IT 0 #693 22 4,183
BR Boys 0 #742 10 12,213
KW Boys 0 #750 20 18,755
SY 0 #767 1 11,684
Spain Boys 0 #788 144 5,610
Germany Girls 0 #800 39 4,949
NG Girls 0 #821 6 15,093
SA Girls 0 #828 108 25,931
PE Boys 0 #855 24 14,506
TN 0 #859 7 13,765
OM Boys 0 #861 21 17,948
EG Boys 0 #864 23 15,035
NL Boys 0 #866 86 5,873
Spain Girls 0 #884 100 5,561
United States Boys 2024 #885 8 7,044
NL Girls 0 #896 60 5,933
Germany Boys 0 #897 56 5,697
CO Boys 0 #899 22 15,656
MX Boys 0 #903 80 16,355
CL Girls 0 #907 9 14,098
United States Girls 2013 #916 5 9,616
NG Boys 0 #921 31 16,906
IN Boys 0 #982 20 16,750
BR Girls 0 #986 7 12,708
EG Girls 0 #1,005 5 14,742
PE Girls 0 #1,006 5 14,861
IT Boys 0 #1,037 444 10,046
AE Boys 0 #1,051 42 22,615
MA 0 #1,091 38 20,986
DZ 0 #1,101 76 20,130
ZA Girls 0 #1,123 19 25,928
ZA Boys 0 #1,142 37 25,619
IT Girls 0 #1,145 304 9,415
CO Girls 0 #1,148 5 16,140
MX Girls 0 #1,168 16 17,781
TR 0 #1,196 16 19,440
SA Boys 0 #1,521 94 28,008

Chen is popular in 75 countries — most recent births per country:

United States
Canada
France
Scotland, United Kingdom
Ireland

Did we miss something about this name? Let us know!

People also ask about Chen

Chen is a unisex name, given to both boys and girls.
Chen is a one syllable name, pronounced {'Mandarin': "Chén — approx. 'chuhn' with a rising tone (pinyin: Chén) [tʂʰən˧˥]", 'Hebrew': "Chen — approx. 'kh-en' with a guttural 'ch' (like German 'Bach') [χen]"}.
Common nicknames and spelling variations include Chén (with tone mark), Ch'en (Wade–Giles), Chan (Cantonese), Tan (Hokkien/Teochew) and Trần / Tran (Vietnamese).
Across languages, Chen has these equivalents: {'meaning_based': ['Grace (English), "Hannah / Channah (Hebrew, related meaning 'grace'), 'Charis (Greek), 'surname_equivalents': ['Chan (Cantonese), 'Tan (Hokkien), and 1 more.
Yes, very popular — Chen ranked #1 in Ireland in 2012, and appears in official birth registries across 5 countries.
Chen ranks highest in Ireland (#1 in 2012).
Yes — 2 notable people named Chen are in our database, including Chen Shui-bian (Politician), Chen Kaige (Actor).