NameCensus.

UK girl's name

Chelsea

Old English place name meaning "chalk landing place".

For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.

Chelsea is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Chelsea popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #1230, with 27 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 1996, with 1,735 births.

This profile covers 13,049 England and Wales registrations across 29 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, NRS Scotland and NISRA Northern Ireland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.

The latest count is about 2% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.

We estimate that about 15,562 living people in the UK are called Chelsea. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.

Key insights

  • Chelsea ranked #1230 for girls in England and Wales in 2024, with 27 registrations.
  • The name peaked in 1996, when 1,735 girls were registered as Chelsea.
  • Chelsea ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #407 in 2024.
  • About 15,562 living people in the UK are estimated to have Chelsea as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.

Latest rank (E&W)

#1230

2024

Births in 2024

27

Latest year

Peak year

1996

1,735 births

Estimated living

15,562

2026

Meaning

What does Chelsea mean?

The name Chelsea has its origins in the Old English language and is derived from the place name "Chelcith," which means "chalk landing place." This place name referred to the area now known as Chelsea in London, England, which was first recorded in the late 11th century.

Chelsea as a given name emerged in the 19th century, likely inspired by the affluent London district of the same name. The name gained popularity as a feminine name in the English-speaking world, although its original meaning was gender-neutral.

One of the earliest recorded uses of Chelsea as a given name was in 1843, when Chelsea Calhoun was born in Mississippi, United States. She was the daughter of John C. Calhoun, a prominent American statesman and political theorist.

Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals named Chelsea. One of the most famous was Chelsea Clinton, born in 1980, the daughter of former U.S. President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Another notable Chelsea was Chelsea Manning, born in 1987, a former United States Army soldier who was convicted of leaking classified documents to WikiLeaks. Manning's actions sparked debates about government transparency and national security.

In literature, Chelsea Therezina Edgardo Coolidge was a character in the novel "The Ambassadors" by Henry James, published in 1903. This Chelsea was depicted as a young American woman living in Paris.

Chelsea Brown, born in 1975, is a Canadian actress and model known for her roles in films such as "Hairspray" and "Reign Over Me." She has also appeared in numerous television shows and commercials.

Chelsea Handler, born in 1975, is an American comedian, actress, writer, television host, and producer. She is best known for her talk shows "Chelsea Lately" and "Chelsea."

While the name Chelsea has its roots in Old English and was initially associated with a specific location, it has evolved over time to become a popular given name for individuals around the world, particularly in English-speaking countries.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

Popularity

Chelsea over time

The chart below shows babies named Chelsea registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.

For Chelsea, the clearest high point is 1996. The latest England and Wales figure is 27 births in 2024, compared with 1,735 at the peak.

Babies born per year

Chelsea
04348681K2K199620102024

Decades

Chelsea by decade

Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Chelsea was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.

Decade Average rank Total births Years covered
2020s #937 193 5
2010s #481 1,100 10
2000s #110 5,601 10
1990s #38 6,155 4

Geography

Where Chelsea is most common

The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Chelsea. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.

Chelsea ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #407 in 2024.

Scotland
5
Northern Ireland
3

Across the UK

Chelsea in Scotland and Northern Ireland

Scotland (NRS)

#531 in 2022

37 years of NRS records, 2,240 total registered

Northern Ireland (NISRA)

#407 in 2024

18 years of NISRA records, 382 total registered

Notable bearers

Famous people named Chelsea

  • Chelsea Ferguson

    association football player

    English footballer

    2004-

  • Chelsea McEachran

    association football player

    2002-

  • Chelsea Cochrane

    association football player

    British association football player

    1999-

  • Chelsea O'Neil

    basketball player

    Scottish basketball player (born 1999)

    1999-

  • Chelsea Angela Woodcock

    (born 1999)

    1999-

  • Chelsea Cornet

    association football player

    Scottish footballer

    1998-

  • Chelsea Myles

    association football player

    1997-

  • Chelsea Burke

    association football player

    English footballer

    1994-

Related

Names similar to Chelsea

FAQ

Chelsea: questions and answers

How popular is the name Chelsea in the UK right now?

In 2024, Chelsea was ranked #1230 for girls in England and Wales, with 27 births registered.

When was Chelsea most popular?

The peak year on record was 1996, with 1,735 babies registered as Chelsea in England and Wales.

What is the meaning and origin of Chelsea?

Old English place name meaning "chalk landing place".

How many people are called Chelsea in the UK?

A total of 13,049 babies have been registered as Chelsea across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 2,240 more in Scotland and 382 in Northern Ireland.

Where is Chelsea most common?

In the latest published local rankings, Chelsea ranks best in Northern Ireland, where it placed #407 in 2024. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.

Which records is this page based on?

The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.