Chamberlin
A given name derived from the medieval occupational surname for a chamberlain.
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Chamberlin. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Chamberlin today is around 10 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Chamberlin births was 2016 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Chamberlin. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Chamberlin. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
2016
5 babies that year
Average age
10
years old
2016 SSA rank
#12,525
Tracked since 2016
Popularity
Chamberlin: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Chamberlin by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Chamberlin during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Chamberlin
The given name Chamberlin is derived from the Old French word "chambrelain," which itself originated from the Late Latin word "camerlengo." The name can be traced back to the Middle Ages, around the 11th to 13th centuries.
Chamberlin was initially used as an occupational surname for a high-ranking official responsible for managing a noble household's private chambers and finances. The name's roots can be found in various European regions, including France, England, and other parts of Western Europe, where it gained popularity during the medieval period.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Chamberlin can be found in the Domesday Book, a historical record compiled in 1086 by order of William the Conqueror. The book mentions several individuals with the surname Chamberlin, indicating its use as an occupational title at the time.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Chamberlin. One prominent figure was Robert Chamberlin (c. 1350-1437), an English cleric and Lord Chancellor of England under King Henry IV. Another was John Chamberlin (c. 1470-1543), an English diplomat and Member of Parliament during the reign of King Henry VIII.
In the 17th century, Edward Chamberlin (1616-1703) was an English physician and writer who authored several medical treatises. Thomas Chamberlin (1805-1876), an American civil engineer, was known for his contributions to the construction of the Erie Canal and other significant infrastructure projects in the United States.
Moving into the 20th century, Thomas C. Chamberlin (1843-1928) was an American geologist and educator who proposed the influential theory of planetesimal formation, which aimed to explain the origin of the solar system. He served as the president of the University of Wisconsin and made significant contributions to the field of geology.
While the name Chamberlin has its roots in the medieval period, it has continued to be used as a given name throughout history, with various individuals leaving their mark across various fields and professions.
People
Chamberlin + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Chamberlin as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with C
Other first names starting with C with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Chamberlin: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Chamberlin?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Chamberlin going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Chamberlin a common name?
We classify Chamberlin as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Chamberlin most popular?
The single biggest year for Chamberlin was 2016, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Chamberlin is about 10 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Chamberlin in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Chamberlin a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Chamberlin in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Chamberlin still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Chamberlin in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Chamberlin can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have the name Chamberlin?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the name Chamberlin at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.