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Chelse

♀ Girl

Pronounced CHEL-see /ˈtʃɛl.si/High

Meaning: Chelse is a trimmed spelling of Chelsea, from the London district whose Old English name means 'chalk landing place' or 'chalk wharf'. It keeps that place-name meaning in a shorter form.Medium

In 30 seconds: Chelse is a clipped spelling of Chelsea, from an English place name meaning 'chalk landing place'. It crested in 1992.

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Origin MediumEnglish

MeaningChelse is a trimmed spelling of Chelsea, from the London district whose Old English name means 'chalk landing place' or 'chalk wharf'. It keeps that place-name meaning in a shorter form.

U.S. rank (2010)#17581 ↘ Falling

2010 U.S. births5 girls (0.00% of U.S. girls)

Peak year1992

Total births (all-time)≈ 838

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.

SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.

History & Origin

Chelse is a shortened spelling of Chelsea, the name of a chic London district from the Old English cealc-hyth, 'chalk landing place'. As Chelsea surged as an American girls' name in the nineteen-eighties and nineties, trimmed and varied spellings like Chelse and Chelsie appeared, showing in United States records from the mid-nineteen-seventies.

Chelse reached its high point in 1992, riding the Chelsea fashion, and faded as that whole cluster cooled after the nineties. It reads as a name of its nineties moment worn by women now in their thirties, a spelling variant rather than a reviving name.

Did you know? Chelse trims Chelsea, the fashionable London riverside district whose name once meant a 'chalk wharf' on the Thames — a piece of old London tucked into a nineties girls' name.

Overall data confidence 66%

References — Chelse — Clipped spelling of Chelsea, English 'chalk landing place'; SSA peak 1992

Variations

ChelseaChelsieChelseyChelsi

Nicknames

ChelsElsie

Famous Bearers

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If you like Chelse…

Chelsea— the standard spelling Chelse trims

Chelsie— a like -ie spelling of the same name

Kelsey— a same-era rhyming place-and-surname girls' name

Chelsi— another trimmed spelling of the identical name

Explore names like Chelse

By themerespelling place-name two-syllable nineties

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Frequently Asked

What does the name Chelse mean?

Chelse is a form of Chelsea, from an English place name meaning 'chalk landing place'.

How do you pronounce Chelse?

It's said CHEL-see /ˈtʃɛl.si/ — two syllables, stress on the first, like Chelsea.

Is Chelse a boy or girl name?

Chelse is used as a girl's name.

How popular is Chelse?

Chelse was an uncommon spelling that crested in the early nineteen-nineties with the Chelsea trend and has been rare since.