Given name & surname · also Old French
Chandler
“a candlemaker”·“one who makes candles”
Chandler is used as a given name and a surname. Interpretations include “a candlemaker” (English) and “one who makes candles” (English). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Meaning & origin
What it means
Interpretations include “a candlemaker” (English) and “one who makes candles” (English). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Old French.
How it developed
It entered given-name use through an existing surname.
The story
Its naming history includes the use of a family name as a given name.
Chandler through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 46,892
- 36,507 boys · 10,385 girls
- Most popular year
- 1999
- 2,842 babies
- 2025
- 638
- #753 for boys · #895 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −16%
- Easing
Boys, girls and both
The balance of boys and girls given this name has shifted over time. Recent births are 63% boys.
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 342 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 753 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 29.0% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 2,395 in 1999. It also appeared in 296 birth records for girls in 2025. In 2025, Georgia had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (29). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 37,708 as a first name in 2020; 73,879 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Chandler’s family of names
Chandler has a related form in Chandlar. Chandler has a related form in Chandlor. Chandler has a related form in Chanalar.
Inner ring: spellings · outer: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 9
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
- Chandervariant · English
- Chandlyrvariant
- Chandlorvariant
- Chandlarvariant
- Channdlerlikely variant
- Chandllerlikely variant
- Chandlirvariant
- Chandlurvariant
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Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
People named Chandler
- Chandler RiggsAmerican actorborn 1999
- Chandler CanterburyAmerican actorborn 1998
- Chandler ParsonsAmerican basketball player (born 1988)
- Chandler StephensonCanadian ice hockey forwardborn 1994
- Chandler MasseyAmerican actorborn 1990
- Chandler HutchisonAmerican basketball playerborn 1996
- Chandler JonesAmerican football player (born 1990)
- Chandler RobbinsAmerican ornithologist and natural history writer (1918–2017)
- Chandler KinneyAmerican actressborn 2000
Characters named Chandler: Chandler Bing (Friends).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Chandler, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Skyler
“one who is learned; a scholar” · “a fugitive”
44% boys · 56% girls
Channing
“an offficial of the church” · “resembling a young wolf”
65% boys · 35% girls
Drew
“one who is wise”
67% boys · 33% girls
Hayden
“from the hedged valley”
68% boys · 32% girls
Kemper
“one who is noble”
62% boys · 38% girls
Devine
“resembling an ox” · “of the divine”
50% boys · 50% girls
Parker
“the keeper of the park”
65% boys · 35% girls
Baby
“a beloved child; a spoiled daughter” · “a beloved child; a spoiled son”
54% boys · 46% girls