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Chiffon

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How to Pronounce Chiffon

Pronounced shih-FON /ʃɪˈfɒn/Medium

Meaning: Chiffon is the English fashion word for a light, sheer fabric, borrowed from the French 'chiffon', 'rag' or 'wisp of cloth'. As a girls' name it belongs to the family of soft, glamorous word-names and echoes the sound of Tiffany. It carries the fabric's airy, delicate connotations rather than a personal-name etymology.Low

In 30 seconds: Chiffon is the sheer-fabric word, from French for 'cloth', used as a name and echoing Tiffany. It was a rare, glamorous pick (said 'shih-FON').

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Origin MediumFrench

MeaningChiffon is the English fashion word for a light, sheer fabric, borrowed from the French 'chiffon', 'rag' or 'wisp of cloth'. As a girls' name it belongs to the family of soft, glamorous word-names and echoes the sound of Tiffany. It carries the fabric's airy, delicate connotations rather than a personal-name etymology.

U.S. rank (1995)#12084 ↗ Rising

1995 U.S. births6 girls (0.00% of U.S. girls)

Peak year1979

Total births (all-time)≈ 470

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

Chiffon takes its name straight from the sheer, gauzy fabric, a word English borrowed from the French chiffon, originally 'rag' or 'scrap of cloth' and later the delicate material of evening wear. As a given name it sits with the soft word-names of its era and rhymes closely with Tiffany, lending it a ready-made glamour.

Chiffon was always a rarity, touching about thirty girls a year around 1979 and fading by the mid-1990s. It reads as a word borrowed for its prettiness rather than a family name; a Chiffon from the peak would be in her forties, and it remains an unusual, decorative choice.

Did you know? Chiffon names a girl after a fabric so light it floats - the French word once meant little more than a wisp of cloth or a rag, but on the runway it became the airiest of silks.

Overall data confidence 50%

References - Chiffon — French chiffon 'rag/cloth', sheer fabric; word-name

Variations

ChifonChiffonnChiffonneShiffonChifonn

Nicknames

ChifFifi

Famous Bearers

Famous bearers coming soon.

If you like Chiffon…

Tiffany— the like-sounding glamorous name of the era

Tiffani— a same-era spelling of that name

Cherish— another soft word used as a girls' name

Fanchon— echoes that soft -on sound

Mignon— another French name

Explore names like Chiffon

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Frequently Asked

What does the name Chiffon mean?

Chiffon is the fashion word for a sheer fabric, from a French word for 'rag' or 'cloth', used as a name.

How do you pronounce Chiffon?

It is said shih-FON /ʃɪˈfɒn/, two syllables stressed on the second.

Is Chiffon a boy or girl name?

Chiffon is used as a girl's name.

How popular is the name Chiffon?

Chiffon has always been very rare, a glamorous fabric word borrowed as a name in the late nineteen-seventies.