Find out how popular the last name Chandler is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Chandler.

Chandler, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Chandler surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Chandler in America

Chandler is the 404th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Chandler surname appeared 79,186 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 27 people would have the surname Chandler.

We can also compare 2010 data for Chandler to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Chandler

The surname Chandler originated in England during the Anglo-Saxon period. It derives from the Old English word "candel" (candle) combined with the agent suffix "-er", meaning one who made or sold candles. The earliest recorded spelling dates back to the late 11th century, shortly after the Norman Conquest of England in 1066.

The Domesday Book, a great survey of land and landholders completed in 1086, mentions several individuals with variations of the surname, such as Candeler and Candelor. This suggests the name was already established in various parts of England by the late 11th century.

In the 13th century, records show the surname Chandler appearing in various locations across England, including London, Kent, Somerset, and Yorkshire. The different spellings included Chaundeler, Chaundler, and Chandler, reflecting regional variations in pronunciation and spelling at the time.

One of the earliest known bearers of the name was John Chaundeler, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Worcestershire in 1275. Another early record is of William Chaundeler, who was listed in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1279.

Over the centuries, the Chandler surname has been associated with several notable individuals, such as Thomas Chandler (1693-1766), an English non-juror and controversial writer, and Samuel Chandler (1693-1766), an English non-conformist minister and writer. In the United States, notable Chandlers include Zachariah Chandler (1813-1879), a U.S. Senator from Michigan, and Raymond Chandler (1888-1959), the renowned American novelist and screenwriter known for his hardboiled crime fiction.

Other notable Chandlers throughout history include John Chandler (1760-1844), a British Army officer and Member of Parliament; Joseph Chandler (1776-1867), an English Unitarian minister and academic; and Seth Carlo Chandler (1846-1913), an American astronomer who discovered the Chandler wobble in the Earth's axis of rotation.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Chandler

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Chandler.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Chandler was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Chandler has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Chandler was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Chandler, please contact us.

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