Chanler
French given name meaning "one who makes or sells candles".
Name Census estimates that about 624 living Americans carry the first name Chanler. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 72.2% of registrations being male. The average person named Chanler today is around 22 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Chanler births was 1999 (40 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Chanler. 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.
People living today
624
~ 1 in 549,286 Americans
Peak year
1999
40 babies that year
Average age
22
years old
2022 SSA rank
#7,351
Tracked since 1990
Gender
Gender distribution for Chanler
Chanler is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 634 total registrations, 458 (72.2%) were male and 176 (27.8%) were female.
Chanler as a male name
- Ranked #7,351 in 2022
- 11 male births in 2022
- Peak: 2001 (29 births)
Chanler as a female name
- Ranked #15,705 in 2024
- 5 female births in 2024
- Peak: 1993 (16 births)
Popularity
Chanler: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Chanler from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 251 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Chanler 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 Chanler during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Chanlers live
Origin
Meaning and history of Chanler
The name Chanler has its roots in the French language and can be traced back to the Middle Ages. It is derived from the Old French word "chancelier," which means "chancellor" or "record keeper." The earliest recorded use of the name dates back to the 12th century, when it was used to refer to individuals who held the position of chancellor in various courts and governments across Europe.
During the medieval period, the name Chanler was primarily associated with individuals of high rank and status, as chancellors were often among the most influential advisors to kings and nobles. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Arnaud de Chanler, a prominent chancellor in the court of King Louis VII of France in the 12th century.
As the name spread throughout Europe, it evolved into various spellings and forms, including Chancer, Chauncer, and Chaucer. Geoffrey Chaucer, the renowned English poet and author of "The Canterbury Tales," was born around 1343 and is perhaps the most famous historical figure associated with this name.
In the 16th century, the name Chanler gained prominence in England, where it was used by several notable individuals. Robert Chanler, an English lawyer and politician, served as a Member of Parliament during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I in the late 16th century.
Another significant figure bearing the name Chanler was John Chanler, an American lawyer and diplomat who lived from 1862 to 1935. He served as the United States Ambassador to Spain and played a crucial role in negotiating the Treaty of Paris, which ended the Spanish-American War in 1898.
Robert Winthrop Chanler, an American artist and Art Nouveau decorator, was born in 1872 and is renowned for his intricate and ornate designs adorning various buildings, including the Bronx Zoo and the Virginia House in New York City.
In the field of literature, Amelie Rives Chanler, born in 1863, was an American novelist and playwright who gained fame for her controversial works, including the novel "The Quick or the Dead?" and the play "Herod and Mariamne."
While the name Chanler has its origins in the French language and was initially associated with individuals of high social status, it has since become more widely used across various cultures and regions, reflecting the diverse and rich history of this name.
People
Chanler + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Chanler 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
Chanler: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Chanler?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 624 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Chanler 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 549,286 US residents.
Is Chanler a common name?
We classify Chanler as "Very Rare". It ranks above 86.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 634 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Chanler most popular?
The single biggest year for Chanler was 1999, when 40 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Chanler is about 22 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Chanler a male name?
Yes, 72.2% of people registered as Chanler 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.
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.