Chanel
- Gender
- Girl
- Say it
- sha-NEL
- Origin
- French
- UK rank, 2025
- #5,990 for girls
- US rank, 2025
- #1,309 for girls
Chanel is a girls' name of French origin, meaning “channel, canal”. In 2025 it ranked 5,990th for girls in the UK (3 babies) and 1,309th for girls in the US (170 babies).
What does Chanel mean?
French: French surname, from Old French chanel, canal
“channel, canal”
Popularised by Gabrielle Coco Chanel, the French designer who founded the Chanel fashion house.
More on Wiktionary.
Is Chanel a girl's or a boy's name?
Chanel is a girls' name. In 2025, it was given to 3 girls in the UK and 170 girls in the US. Too few boys were given it to be listed.
How popular is Chanel in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- #5,990among girls
- Babies in 2025
- 3about 1 in 93,000 girls
- Five-year trend
- Falling fastdown 63% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 girls
In 2025, 3 girls in the UK were named Chanel, making it the 5,990th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 1,708th. Its busiest year was 2006, with 136 girls.
2025 had the fewest girls named Chanel since the records began in 1996.
Half of all the girls named Chanel in the UK since 1996 were born between 2000 and 2010. It was already well used in 1996, when the records begin, so earlier girls aren't counted.
Among girls in 2025, it was 5,925th in England and Wales.
Chanel in the UK, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 3 | #5,990 |
| 2024 | 10 | #2,644 |
| 2023 | 12 | #2,329 |
| 2022 | 12 | #2,277 |
| 2021 | 17 | #1,794 |
| 2020 | 18 | #1,708 |
| 2019 | 25 | #1,368 |
| 2018 | 24 | #1,420 |
| 2017 | 41 | #974 |
| 2016 | 42 | #942 |
| 2015 | 38 | #1,014 |
| 2014 | 45 | #906 |
| 2013 | 66 | #672 |
| 2012 | 70 | #643 |
| 2011 | 61 | #705 |
| 2010 | 66 | #646 |
| 2009 | 70 | #597 |
| 2008 | 74 | #563 |
| 2007 | 103 | #439 |
| 2006 | 136 | #351 |
| 2005 | 121 | #364 |
| 2004 | 120 | #354 |
| 2003 | 105 | #386 |
| 2002 | 102 | #370 |
| 2001 | 77 | #446 |
| 2000 | 73 | #462 |
| 1999 | 104 | #349 |
| 1998 | 93 | #386 |
| 1997 | 110 | #348 |
| 1996 | 124 | #319 |
How popular is Chanel in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- #1,309among girls
- Babies in 2025
- 170about 1 in 9,500 girls
- Five-year trend
- Fallingdown 48% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 girls
In 2025, 170 girls in the US were named Chanel, making it the 1,309th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 715th. Its busiest year was 1991, with 676 girls. It first appears in the records in 1955.
It has been given to fewer girls each year for the last 5 years. 2025 had fewer girls named Chanel than any year since 1977.
Half of all the girls named Chanel in the US since 1880 were born between 1987 and 2011, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 226 girls in the US were given Chanel or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #981, up from #1,309 for this spelling alone.
Chanel in the US, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 170 | #1,309 |
| 2024 | 192 | #1,223 |
| 2023 | 206 | #1,168 |
| 2022 | 289 | #937 |
| 2021 | 333 | #829 |
| 2020 | 391 | #715 |
| 2019 | 355 | #781 |
| 2018 | 354 | #770 |
| 2017 | 391 | #728 |
| 2016 | 450 | #651 |
| 2015 | 417 | #684 |
| 2014 | 453 | #630 |
| 2013 | 382 | #722 |
| 2012 | 373 | #746 |
| 2011 | 320 | #827 |
| 2010 | 333 | #813 |
| 2009 | 354 | #799 |
| 2008 | 380 | #772 |
| 2007 | 318 | #880 |
| 2006 | 287 | #921 |
| 2005 | 272 | #914 |
| 2004 | 263 | #920 |
| 2003 | 229 | #1,007 |
| 2002 | 209 | #1,033 |
| 2001 | 238 | #932 |
| 2000 | 278 | #815 |
| 1999 | 275 | #795 |
| 1998 | 325 | #694 |
| 1997 | 378 | #597 |
| 1996 | 416 | #561 |
| 1995 | 358 | #618 |
| 1994 | 468 | #526 |
| 1993 | 594 | #422 |
| 1992 | 658 | #393 |
| 1991 | 676 | #380 |
| 1990 | 606 | #418 |
| 1989 | 523 | #468 |
| 1988 | 544 | #427 |
| 1987 | 465 | #469 |
| 1986 | 495 | #433 |
| 1985 | 458 | #465 |
| 1984 | 437 | #471 |
| 1983 | 434 | #465 |
| 1982 | 332 | #557 |
| 1981 | 270 | #655 |
| 1980 | 281 | #650 |
| 1979 | 264 | #660 |
| 1978 | 198 | #776 |
| 1977 | 163 | #880 |
| 1976 | 151 | #880 |
| 1975 | 140 | #923 |
| 1974 | 119 | #1,008 |
| 1973 | 121 | #980 |
| 1972 | 87 | #1,219 |
| 1971 | 111 | #1,084 |
| 1970 | 89 | #1,247 |
| 1969 | 81 | #1,242 |
| 1968 | 61 | #1,451 |
| 1967 | 55 | #1,506 |
| 1966 | 41 | #1,766 |
| 1965 | 38 | #1,854 |
| 1964 | 33 | #2,070 |
| 1963 | 37 | #1,921 |
| 1962 | 21 | #2,667 |
| 1961 | 11 | #4,008 |
| 1960 | 7 | #5,167 |
| 1959 | 12 | #3,618 |
| 1958 | 7 | #4,889 |
| 1957 | 6 | #5,376 |
| 1956 | 7 | #4,836 |
| 1955 | 7 | #4,739 |
Names like Chanel
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Jasmine Chloe Erin Molly Abigail Amber Zoe Hannah Mia Jessica Cara Leah
Other spellings of Chanel
Names related to Chanel
More French names
Eleanor Beau Esme Darcie Darcy Genevieve Amy Esmae Arleth Elle Russell Monty Mallory Percy Lacey Belle
Sources
Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Chanel: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/chanel, updated 20 October 2026.