Total births
14,986
Girls' name · since 1957
Chantel
Chantel has 14,986 recorded births since 1957 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1990 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #6986
- among girls today
- 14,986
- born since 1957
- 1990s
- peak decade
- 61%
- more common than other girls
Yes -- Chantel is the #6986 most popular girls' name in the U.S. today, with 14,986 recorded since 1957.
Chantel has 14,986 recorded births among girls since 1957, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #6986 as of the latest data, more common than 61% of girls, busiest in the 1990s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1957 to 2025.
- #6986 among girls today
- 14,986 born since 1957
- 1990s peak decade
- 61% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Chantel is currently the #6986 girls' name in America, more common than 61% of girls - 14,986 born since 1957, peaking in the 1990s.
- #6986
- among girls today
- 14,986
- born since 1957
- 1990s
- peak decade
- 61%
- more common than other girls
Chantel vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#6986
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 61% of names given to girls today.
1990s
Peak decade
35% of everyone ever named Chantel was born in this single decade.
1990
Single peak year
740 babies were named Chantel in 1990 - its busiest year on record.
How Chantel compares
14,986 Top 7% higher than 93% of 17,726 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Chantel's all-time total is 39x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Chantel | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 14,986 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 740 | 48 | 19,840 |
Chantel's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Chantel's full recorded timeline at 1992, 38% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 62% in the earlier half -- the name was more prevalent in its earlier era than it is today. Its quietest year on record was 1957, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1990 peak of 740 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Chantel at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1990
Current rank
#6,986
Active since
1957
Chantel popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1957–2025
- Peak year (1990)
- 740
- Annual births at peak, across 69 years of records
Chantel popularity over time - boys
11 total births recorded since 1974 (Chantel as boys' name)
Chantel by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1990s was Chantel's strongest decade.
5,175 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 35% of all-time use.
Chantel births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1950s 11
1950s
11 births
- 1960s 626
1960s
626 births
- 1970s
1970s
2,672 births
- 1980s
1980s
4,599 births
- 1990s
1990s
5,175 births
- 2000s 1,402
2000s
1,402 births
- 2010s 374
2010s
374 births
- 2020s 127
2020s
127 births
What this shows Peak: 1990s at 5,175 births (35% of all-time use).
How Chantel compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Chantel's total volume
Chantel vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Chantel by state
Where Chantel concentrates geographically, total births since 1957
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 1,739 | 11.6% |
| #2 | New York | | 1,401 | 9.3% |
| #3 | Florida | | 745 | 5.0% |
| #4 | Texas | | 681 | 4.5% |
| #5 | Michigan | | 637 | 4.3% |
| #6 | Illinois | | 500 | 3.3% |
| #7 | Louisiana | | 478 | 3.2% |
| #8 | Pennsylvania | | 443 | 3.0% |
California share of Chantel's total US births 11.6%
Even split
1,739 of 14,986 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 47 reporting states.
Chantel appears in 47 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Chantel? ▼
Since 1957, Social Security records show 14,986 babies named Chantel. Today it holds rank #6986 among girls. Its busiest year on record was 1990, with 740 births.
When was Chantel most popular? ▼
Chantel was most popular in the 1990s decade with 5,175 total births. The single peak year was 1990.
Where is Chantel most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Chantel are California (1,739 births), New York (1,401 births), Florida (745 births).
How long has the name Chantel been used? ▼
Records for Chantel go back to 1957, giving 69 years of history through 2025.
What names are similar to Chantel? ▼
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.
What to do with Chantel's data
- Chantel's decade-level peak was the 1990s (5,175 total births); usage has since declined to 127 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Chantels (1,739 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Chantel
Nearby Names Like Chantel
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Chantel
Charlotte Girl
#4 453,433 births
Charlene Girl
#1755 133,729 births
Charlie Girl
#140 40,359 births
Charity Girl
#2041 35,518 births
Chasity Girl
#4059 24,414 births
Compare Chantel side by side: Chantel vs Charlotte Chantel vs Charlene Chantel vs Charlie
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Chantel
Data Sources
Data as of June 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1957–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Chantel: #6986 Girls' Name - 14,986 Births, Peak 1990." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/chantel. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Chantel draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.