unisex name
Chandler
CHAND-lur
- Origin English
- Gender Unisex
- Syllables 2
- Letters 8
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 48,199
the United States
#753
2025 births
Chandler means a candle maker, and the trade left a grander word behind — the same French root gives chandelier, so the humblest medieval occupation names the most ornate fitting in the house. Candid and incandescent come from the same Latin root.
- Chandler is a name of English origin.
- Peaked in 1999, when 2,842 babies were given the name.
- Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 5,196 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1900.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Chandler over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1900s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1900s | 17 |
| 1910s | 193 |
| 1920s | 278 |
| 1930s | 219 |
| 1940s | 205 |
| 1950s | 230 |
| 1960s | 403 |
| 1970s | 762 |
| 1980s | 1,688 |
| 1990s | 17,396 |
| 2000s | 12,968 |
| 2010s | 8,315 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 4,218 |
What Chandler means
Chandler means a maker or seller of candles. It is an occupational surname, so it records a trade rather than describing the person who carries it.
Where Chandler comes from
Chandler is the Norman French chandelier, a candle maker, from chandelle and the Latin candela — from candere, to shine or glow, which also gives candid and incandescent. The trade was significant enough to have its own London livery company, the Tallow Chandlers. The word later moved up in the world to name the hanging light fitting, while the surname kept the older sense. About 22 percent of recorded births are female.
Chandler in use
Chandler peaked in the United States in 1999, when 2,842 babies were registered, and our data marks it stable rather than falling. It charts in exactly one of the six markets we track, at 753rd in the United States on 638 births, across 48,199 lifetime births. England and Wales ran its own peak of 74 births in 1998, a year before the American one.
How popular is Chandler?
In 2025, Chandler was given to 638 babies in the United States, ranking #753 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Chandler is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Chandler
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Chandler also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Chandler over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Chandler in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Chandler
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Chandler — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Chandler
What does the name Chandler mean?
A candle maker — the Norman French chandelier.
Is chandelier the same word?
Yes. It moved up to name the light fitting; the surname kept the trade.
Is candid related?
Yes — both come from the Latin candere, to shine.
Is Chandler a boys' or girls' name?
Mostly boys — about 22 percent of the births in our records are female.
How popular is the name Chandler?
In 2025, Chandler was given to 638 babies in the United States, ranking #753 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
How many syllables are in Chandler?
Chandler has 2 syllables.
When was Chandler most popular?
Chandler peaked in 1999, when 2,842 babies were given the name. Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
Is Chandler a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Chandler currently ranks #753 in the United States. Its usage has held steady over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.