US rank #1224 Girls' name Peak 1991 18,926 births

Chanel — #1224 US girls' name

18,926 babies named Chanel in U.S. Social Security records since 1955, with the highest year being 1991. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.

1950s391960s3851970s14431980s42391990s47542000s28282010s38282020s1410
#1224
of 17,661 girls in use

More common than 93% of names given to girls today.

1990s
Peak decade

25% of everyone ever named Chanel was born in this single decade.

1991
Single peak year

676 babies were named Chanel in 1991 — its busiest year on record.

What the Data Says About Chanel

The Social Security Administration has registered 18,926 babies named Chanel between 1955 and 2024, spanning 70 consecutive years of U.S. birth records. As a girl's name, Chanel currently holds the #1224 rank among girls for 2024. The name reached its historical peak in 1991, when 676 babies received it in a single year.

Decade-level aggregation shows that Chanel performed strongest in the 1990s, accumulating 4,754 births during that ten-year window. Across the 8 decades of recorded activity, Chanel shows a clear decline from its mid-century high. Geographically, the name is most concentrated in California, which accounts for 3,206 births — the largest state-level total in the dataset — followed by New York and Florida. In total, SSA state-level files list Chanel in 39 of the 51 U.S. reporting jurisdictions.

No etymological entry is currently available for Chanel in our reference dataset. These figures derive from SSA's annual national and state-level name files, which include any name appearing at least five times in a given year or state-year; names below that threshold are suppressed for privacy and therefore excluded from the totals shown here. The 18,926 total represents a lower bound — actual usage may be higher in years or states where the count fell below the disclosure floor. This page is provided for informational and research purposes only and does not constitute personal, legal, or naming advice.

Chanel at a glance

Outside the top 1,000

Total births

18,926

Since 1955

70 years of records

Peak year

1991

676 births that year

Strongest decade: 1990s

Current rank

#1,224

Among girls

As of 2024

Active since

1955

Recorded for 70 years

Last year on file: 2024

Chanel popularity over time — girls

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 2024–1955

Outside the top 1,000
Peak year (1991)
676
Annual births at peak — across 70 years of records
-2000200400600800 202420152006199719881979197019611955 7

Chanel popularity over time — boys

85 total births recorded since 1918 (Chanel as boys' name)

Unisex variant — 85 births
4681012 19961989197919311928192519201918 7

Chanel by decade

Total births in each ten-year window — peak vs trough at a glance

Peak: 1990s
Peak decade
1990s
4,754 births that decade — 25% of Chanel's all-time total
1950s391960s3851970s14431980s42391990s47542000s28282010s38282020s1410

Chanel by state

Where Chanel concentrates geographically — total births since 1955

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name Chanel
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 California
3,206 16.9%
#2 New York
1,944 10.3%
#3 Florida
1,346 7.1%
#4 Texas
1,320 7.0%
#5 Illinois
887 4.7%
#6 Pennsylvania
729 3.9%
#7 Michigan
639 3.4%
#8 Ohio
548 2.9%
California share of Chanel's total US births 16.9%
Even split

3,206 of 18,926 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 39 reporting states.

Chanel appears in 39 states. Explore state details →

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Chanel?
18,926 babies have been named Chanel since 1955. It currently ranks #1224 among girls. The peak year was 1991 with 676 births.
When was Chanel most popular?
Chanel was most popular in the 1990s decade with 4,754 total births. The single peak year was 1991.
Where is Chanel most popular?
The top states for the name Chanel are California (3,206 births), New York (1,944 births), Florida (1,346 births).
How long has the name Chanel been used?
Chanel has been recorded in Social Security data since 1955, spanning 70 years of data through 2024.
What names are similar to Chanel?
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Charlotte, Charlene, Charlie, Charity, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.

Keep exploring Chanel

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Data Sources

Data as of 2024. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).

Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications — National Data, 1955–2024 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames). National-level data includes all names with 5 or more occurrences in a given year.

State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names — State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip). Includes all names with 5 or more occurrences per state per year; rarer names are excluded for privacy.