Given name & surname · also French
Channing
“an offficial of the church”·“resembling a young wolf”
Channing is used as a given name and a surname. Interpretations include “an official of the church; resembling a young wolf”, “an offficial of the church”, and “resembling a young wolf”. These belong to different or overlapping naming contexts.
Meaning & origin
What it means
Interpretations include “an official of the church; resembling a young wolf”, “an offficial of the church”, and “resembling a young wolf”. These belong to different or overlapping naming contexts.
Where it comes from
This spelling has been associated with English and French naming traditions.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1912. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Channing through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 11,238
- 7,296 boys · 3,942 girls
- Most popular year
- 2012
- 683 babies
- 2025
- 142
- #1,772 for boys · #3,136 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −41%
- Cooling
Boys, girls and both
The balance of boys and girls given this name has shifted over time. Recent births are 65% boys.
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 91 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 1,772 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 48.7% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 512 in 2012. It also appeared in 51 birth records for girls in 2025. In 2025, Georgia had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (10). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 8,623 as a first name in 2020; 517 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.
Channing’s family of names
Channing has a related form in Channon. Channing has a related form in Canning. Channing has a related form in Cannyng.
The ring: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 11
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
- Channervariant
- Channonvariant
- Cannyngvariant
- Canningvariant
- Channyngvariant
- Channevariant
- Channerivariant
- Channereevariant
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People named Channing
- Channing TatumAmerican actor, dancer and model (born 1980)
- Channing FryeAmerican basketball player (born 1983)
- Channing PollockAmerican playwright and screenwriter (1880-1946)
- Channing H. CoxAmerican politician (1879–1968)
- Channing PollockAmerican actor and magician (1926-2006)
- Channing CrowderAmerican football player, linebackerborn 1983
- Channing Moore WilliamsAnglican bishop and saint1829–1910
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
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If you love Channing, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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