Cognomen Chayim (חיים 
, Chayim 
, Шайим 
) , around the world, is quite a rare surname. The cognomen Chayim is characteristic of Israel, where it is quite a common surname, Thailand, where it is a very rare surname, and the United States, where it is an extremely rare surname. More frequently, Chayim is the forename as well as the last name.