Baby Names US
girls' name ★ peaked 1991

Chanel

Meaning From French Chanel Gender Girl Rank 2025 #1,311 Trend ↓ Falling 47%

From French Chanel. As a given name, principally after Coco Chanel.

Rank 2025
#1,311
among girls · ↓87 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
170
named Chanel · -11% vs 2024
How common
1 in 9,455
girls born in 2025
Peak year
1991
676 babies
All-time total
19,182
#1,102 all-time among girls
First recorded
1918
in Social Security records

Chanel popularity over time

19,182 babies have been named Chanel since 1918, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.10.20.30.418801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
GirlsBoys

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – – – – – –
1890s – – – – – –
1900s – – – – – –
1910s – 7 7 1 – –
1920s – 35 35 4 +400% –
1930s – 10 10 1 -71% –
1940s – – – – – –
1950s 39 – 39 4 – #3,644
1960s 385 – 385 39 +887% #1,243
1970s 1,443 5 1,448 145 +276% #661
1980s 4,239 17 4,256 426 +194% #427
1990s 4,754 11 4,765 477 +12% #380
2000s 2,828 – 2,828 283 -41% #772
2010s 3,828 – 3,828 383 +35% #630
2020s (to 2025) 1,581 – 1,581 264 -31% #715

Where Chanel is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 girls (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 girls Implied rank
2026 154 0.10 outside top 500
2027 142 0.09 outside top 500
2028 132 0.08 outside top 500
2029 124 0.08 outside top 500
2030 118 0.07 outside top 500

Where Chanel is most popular

Girls named Chanel per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.147 per 1,000. Strongest in Georgia, Florida, and Nevada.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are girls named Chanel born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Girls 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Georgia 64 0.282 +92%
Florida 112 0.262 +78%
Nevada 11 0.237 +61%
Mississippi 11 0.235 +60%
Arizona 32 0.228 +55%
California 183 0.218 +48%
Alabama 18 0.192 +31%
South Carolina 17 0.189 +29%
North Carolina 42 0.184 +26%
Texas 139 0.173 +18%
New York 63 0.159 +8%
Tennessee 24 0.151 ≈ national
Pennsylvania 34 0.144 ≈ national
Illinois 32 0.140 -5%
Michigan 25 0.137 -6%
Washington 19 0.132 -10%
Louisiana 10 0.114 -22%
Virginia 19 0.111 -24%
Ohio 23 0.097 -34%
Maryland 10 0.094 -36%
Kansas 5 0.087 -41%
Connecticut 5 0.086 -41%
Massachusetts 10 0.083 -44%
New Jersey 13 0.072 -51%
Colorado 8 0.072 -51%
Missouri 5 0.041 -72%
Alaska – – –
Arkansas – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Indiana – – –
Kentucky – – –
Maine – – –
Minnesota – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Oregon – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Dakota – – –
Utah – – –
Vermont – – –
Wisconsin – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Chanel

Chanel is uncommon for girls in the United States, ranked #1,311 in 2025 with 170 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1918, 19,182 American babies have been named Chanel. Its peak came in 1991, when 676 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1990s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Chanel stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Chanel?

The median living Chanel is about 29 years old; half are between 13 and 38. An estimated 19 thousand people named Chanel are alive in the United States today.

median 29 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Chanel year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 170 #1,311 – –
2024 192 #1,224 – –
2023 206 #1,169 – –
2022 289 #937 – –
2021 333 #829 – –
2020 391 #715 – –
2019 355 #781 – –
2018 354 #772 – –
2017 391 #728 – –
2016 450 #652 – –
2015 417 #685 – –
2014 453 #630 – –
2013 382 #722 – –
2012 373 #746 – –
2011 320 #827 – –
2010 333 #813 – –
2009 354 #799 – –
2008 380 #772 – –
2007 318 #881 – –
2006 287 #923 – –
2005 272 #915 – –
2004 263 #920 – –
2003 229 #1,010 – –
2002 209 #1,034 – –
2001 238 #933 – –
2000 278 #815 – –
1995 358 #618 – –
1990 606 #418 5 #8,315
1985 458 #465 – –
1980 281 #650 – –
1975 140 #923 – –
1970 89 #1,248 – –
1965 38 #1,856 – –
1960 7 #5,243 – –
1955 7 #4,805 – –
1950 – – – –
1945 – – – –
1940 – – – –
1935 – – – –
1930 – – – –
1925 – – 5 #4,300
1920 – – 5 #4,400
1915 – – – –
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Chanel

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Chanel Iman Chanel Iman American model (born 1990) Contemporary
  2. 2 Chanel Preston Chanel Preston American pornographic film actress (born 1985) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Chanel, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Chanel?

The median living Chanel is about 29 years old. Half of all living Chanels are between 13 and 38 years old.

How many people named Chanel are alive today?

An estimated 19 thousand people named Chanel are alive in the United States, based on 19,182 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Chanel mean?

From French Chanel. As a given name, principally after Coco Chanel.

How popular is the name Chanel in 2025?

Chanel ranked #1,311 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 170 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Chanel?

19,182 babies have been named Chanel in the United States since 1918, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Chanel most popular?

Chanel peaked in 1991, when 676 newborns received the name.

Is Chanel a boy or girl name?

Chanel is overwhelmingly a girl's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Chanel rising or falling?

Chanel is declining, less popular now than a decade ago.

Will Chanel become more popular?

Chanel is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 118 girls named Chanel in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Chanel?

Well-known people named Chanel include Chanel Iman (model), Chanel Preston (pornographic actor).

Names like Chanel

Names that sound and feel close to Chanel: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Chanel with similar names → More names starting with C →