Chapel
Girl name · #4234 in 2025 · Very rare
How old is the name Chapel? In official American birth records, Chapel has been tracked continuously since 1996, giving it 29 years of documented American history.
Chapel is currently the #4234 girl name in the United States — 34 babies received it in 2025. A decade ago it stood at #8008, so the name has been rising over the past ten years. Roughly one in every 52,941 girls born in 2025 was named Chapel.
Babies named Chapel per year. Source: Official national birth records.
The 29-year story
Chapel first appears in the Social Security records in 1996, when 5 girls received the name. Its all-time peak is essentially right now: 2025, with 34 babies and a rank of #4172. Names at their peak can keep climbing — or be one trend cycle from the long slide that eventually hits most popular names. Following the curve matters more than today's snapshot: a name's position on its rise-peak-decline arc is the best predictor of how common it will feel in a kindergarten class five years from now.
Unlock the 5-year forecast and compare Chapel against up to 5 other names.
Uniqueness: will there be another Chapel in class?
On our rarity read — which blends how common Chapel is today with its five-year momentum — the name reads as "very rare". A high score means genuine rarity — your Chapel will likely be the only one in the room, with the occasional spelling-out as the price.
Where Chapel is most common
State-level data for Chapel is too sparse in 2025 to rank by rate — in most states its count falls below the SSA's per-state reporting threshold (counts under 5 are withheld).
Names like Chapel
Statistically, parents drawn to Chapel tend to be choosing among names with similar popularity arcs, era profiles, and sounds — the closest matches in our model are Ciel, Maybel, Rateel, Hayzel, and Ghazal.
CielMaybelRateelHayzelGhazalGretelGrettelGittel
Rank history (last 25 years)
| Year | Babies named Chapel | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 34 | #4172 |
| 2024 | 22 | #5615 |
| 2023 | 21 | #5752 |
| 2022 | 15 | #7281 |
| 2021 | 11 | #8978 |
| 2020 | 11 | #8953 |
| 2019 | 17 | #6698 |
| 2018 | 14 | #7762 |
| 2017 | 19 | #6287 |
| 2016 | 18 | #6663 |
| 2015 | 14 | #8008 |
| 2014 | 7 | #13069 |
| 2013 | 10 | #10235 |
| 2012 | 10 | #10429 |
| 2011 | 10 | #10374 |
| 2010 | 7 | #13448 |
| 2008 | 5 | #17504 |
| 2006 | 5 | #17168 |
| 2005 | 5 | #16462 |
| 2002 | 7 | #12187 |
| 2001 | 6 | #13521 |
| 1999 | 5 | #14411 |
| 1998 | 5 | #14122 |
| 1996 | 5 | #13518 |
Frequently asked questions
How old is the name Chapel?
In official American birth records, the name Chapel first appeared in 1996 (over 29 years ago), when 5 newborn girls received the name. It has been tracked in modern national records for 29 years.
Is Chapel a popular girl name?
Chapel ranked #4234 among girls in 2025 with 34 babies given the name — outside the top 500, making it an uncommon pick. Ten years earlier it ranked #8008.
When was the name Chapel most popular?
Chapel peaked in 2025, when 34 American girls received the name (ranked #4172 that year). That peak is current — the name is at or near its all-time high right now.
How rare is the name Chapel?
In 2025, roughly 1 in 52,941 newborn American girls was named Chapel. On our rarity scale (rarity blended with momentum) we classify it as "very rare".
Data source: Official American birth records, 1880–2025, national and state files. Counts reflect registered birth records for American families.