Girl · #7,059 in 2026

Chantal

Chantal is a feminine given name of French origin. The name Chantal can be traced back to the Old Occitan word cantal, meaning "stone". It came into popular use as a given name in honor of the Catholic saint, Jeanne de Chantal. It may also be spelled Chantel, Chantalle, Chantelle, Shantal, Shantel, Chanté, Shantelle, or Shontelle usually in the USA.

  • French
  • English
  • Dutch
Current Rank
#7,059
Peak Rank
#553 (1990)
Total Babies
8K
5-Yr Trend
-30%
1947
First Year
2026
Last Year
1990
Peak Year
#553
Peak Rank
8K
Total Count
79
Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Chantal

What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.

Chantal is a feminine given name of French origin. The name Chantal can be traced back to the Old Occitan word cantal, meaning "stone". It came into popular use as a given name in honor of the Catholic saint, Jeanne de Chantal. It may also be spelled Chantel, Chantalle, Chantelle, Shantal, Shantel, Chanté, Shantelle, or Shontelle usually in the USA.

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)

  • French
  • English
  • Dutch

The Story of Chantal

Chantal first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1947, with 9 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 1990: 428 births, good for #553 nationwide. About 32% of every Chantal on record arrived during the 1990s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Chantal ranks #7,059 for baby girls with 15 births, falling sharply (-30%). All told, over 8K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1940s to the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

ME
WA
MT
ND
MN
WI
MI
NY
VT
NH
MA
OR
ID
SD
IA
IL
IN
OH
PA
NJ
CT
RI
CA
NV
WY
NE
MO
KY
WV
VA
MD
DE
DC
UT
CO
KS
AR
TN
NC
SC
AK
AZ
NM
OK
LA
MS
AL
GA
HI
TX
FL
Top 10
11-50
51-100
101-500
500+
No data

Variants & Related Forms of Chantal

Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Chantal. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Names that sound like Chantal

Phonetically similar names — useful when Chantal is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Chantal

What does the name Chantal mean?
Chantal is a feminine given name of French origin. The name Chantal can be traced back to the Old Occitan word cantal, meaning "stone". It came into popular use as a given name in honor of the Catholic saint, Jeanne de Chantal. It may also be spelled Chantel, Chantalle, Chantelle, Shantal, Shantel, Chanté, Shantelle, or Shontelle usually in the USA.
What is the origin of the name Chantal?
Chantal has roots in the following cultural and linguistic traditions: French, English, Dutch.
How popular is Chantal in 2026?
In 2026, Chantal ranks #7,059 among girls' names in the U.S., with 15 babies given the name that year.
When was Chantal most popular?
Chantal reached its peak popularity in 1990, ranking #553 that year with 428 babies given the name.
In which U.S. states is Chantal most popular?
Chantal has historically been most popular in New Hampshire, Connecticut, Maine. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Chantal.
Is Chantal a unisex name?
In U.S. Social Security records, Chantal is primarily a girl's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a boy's name.
What names go well with Chantal?
Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Chantal include Reina, Zoie, Amani. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.
What are nicknames or variants of Chantal?
Common variants and related forms of Chantal include Chantel, Chantelle, Shantel, Shantelle. These cover foreign-language equivalents, alternate spellings, and short forms.

Similar Names

👧
Reina
Peak #553
👧
Zoie
Peak #553
👧
Amani
Peak #553
👧
Destiney
Peak #553
👧
Valorie
Peak #554
👧
Renita
Peak #552
👧
Suellen
Peak #552
👧
Capri
Peak #554

About the name Chantal

Chantal is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1947 and has accumulated 8K births in the dataset. Chantal's peak popularity came in 1990 when it ranked #553. Use the chart and map above to compare Chantal's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.

Continue exploring

Data sources

  • Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
  • Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
  • Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
  • Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
  • Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .

Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.