Chanel is a girl name with a modern feel, drawn from real birth records. Below you'll find what Chanel means and where it comes from, plus how many babies have been named Chanel across the United States, UK, Ireland and New Zealand, how popular Chanel has been over the decades, and the year it peaked.
Chanel is a girl name of French origin meaning “canal, pipe”. A French surname used as a given name after the fashion designer Coco Chanel.
| Country | Births on record |
|---|---|
| United States since 1880 | 19,182 births |
| England & Wales since 1996 | 1,830 births |
| Scotland since 1974 | 109 births |
| Ireland since 1964 | 47 births |
Counts come from official national birth-registration statistics: U.S. Social Security Administration, England & Wales (Office for National Statistics), Scotland (National Records of Scotland), Northern Ireland (NISRA), Ireland (Central Statistics Office) and New Zealand (Dept. of Internal Affairs). Coverage spans differ, so totals aren't directly comparable across countries.
Babies named Chanel per year, United States (1918 to 2025). United States peaked in 1991 (676/yr) · England & Wales peaked in 2006 (124/yr) · Scotland peaked in 2006 (12/yr) · Ireland peaked in 2004 (7/yr).
Chanel has been a fairly common baby name in the United States. It was most common in 1991, when it ranked #740 nationally (given to 679 babies that year).
Chanelle · Shanell · Shanelle · Chanell · Shanel · Channel · Shannel · Chenelle
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