Chantel
A feminine name of French origin meaning "stone" or "rock".
Name Census estimates that about 14,162 living Americans carry the first name Chantel. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Chantel today is around 37 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Chantel births was 1990 (740 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Chantel. 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
14K
~ 1 in 24,202 Americans
Peak year
1990
740 babies that year
Average age
37
years old
1989 SSA rank
#6,970
Tracked since 1957
Gender
Gender distribution for Chantel
Out of the 14,981 babies given the name Chantel since 1880, 99.9% were registered as female. The name sits firmly on the female side of the spectrum, with only a handful of male registrations across the entire dataset.
Chantel as a male name
- Ranked #7,091 in 1989
- 6 male births in 1989
- Peak: 1989 (6 births)
Chantel as a female name
- Ranked #6,970 in 2024
- 16 female births in 2024
- Peak: 1990 (740 births)
Popularity
Chantel: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Chantel from the 1950s through to the 2020s, spanning 8 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 5,175 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Chantel 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 Chantel during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Chantels live
The SSA's state-level files cover 47 states and territories. California, New York, Florida recorded the most babies named Chantel, while Arkansas, West Virginia, Mississippi recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 259 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Chantel
The name Chantel is a French feminine form of the masculine name Chantal, which itself is derived from the Latin name Cantius. It is believed to have originated in the 3rd century AD in the region of modern-day France.
The name Cantius was a Roman family name that may have been derived from the Latin word "cantus," meaning "song" or "chant." This suggests that the original bearers of the name may have been singers, poets, or musicians.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Chantel was in the 12th century, when it was borne by a French noblewoman named Chantel de Semur. She was a prominent figure in the court of King Louis VII of France and played a role in the Second Crusade.
In the 13th century, another notable bearer of the name was Chantel de Montbéliard, a French countess who was involved in the negotiations that led to the Treaty of Verdun in 843, which divided the Carolingian Empire among the grandsons of Charlemagne.
During the Renaissance period, the name Chantel gained popularity among the French aristocracy. One famous bearer was Chantel de Rieux (1506-1584), a French noblewoman and author who wrote several works on religion and philosophy.
In the 17th century, the name was borne by Chantel de Sévigné (1626-1696), a French aristocrat and famous letter writer whose correspondences provide valuable insights into the social and cultural life of her time.
Another notable figure was Chantel de La Tour d'Auvergne (1670-1730), a French military leader and Marshal of France who played a significant role in the War of the Spanish Succession.
Throughout history, the name Chantel has been associated with women of noble birth, literary accomplishments, and military prowess. While it has retained its French roots, the name has also been adopted and adapted in various cultures around the world.
People
Chantel + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Chantel 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
Chantel: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Chantel?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 14,162 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Chantel 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 24,202 US residents.
Is Chantel a common name?
We classify Chantel as "Uncommon". It ranks above 98.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 14,981 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Chantel most popular?
The single biggest year for Chantel was 1990, when 740 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Chantel is about 37 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Chantel a female name?
Yes, 99.9% of people registered as Chantel in the SSA data are female. 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.