Chanel

Meaning of Chanel

Chanel (shah-NEL or shuh-NELL) began as a French occupational surname meaning “pipe” or “channel,” yet modern ears inevitably connect it to Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel and the house that redefined couture and bottled sophistication in No. 5. That fashionable linkage lends the name an air of polished cosmopolitanism, while its linguistic simplicity keeps it approachable across languages. In the United States it edged onto the Social Security charts in the late 1950s, peaked in the early 1990s around the mid-300s, and now rides comfortably in the 700s—recognizable but far from overused. Pronounced with a soft “sh” and a crisp “NEL,” Chanel offers parents a streamlined choice that whispers Parisian chic without demanding a runway.