Chet is the short form of Chester, an English city name from the Latin castra, so it means "camp" or "fortress". Jazz trumpeter Chet Baker and country guitarist Chet Atkins made it a name with a mid-century, all-American ring. Chet has not been in the US top 1000 this century; it ranked 1995 in 2000, dipped to 3136 in 2017 and has recovered to number 2186 in 2025 with 65 births.