NameCensus.

UK surname

Chandler

An occupational surname for a candle maker or seller, derived from the Old French word "chandelier."

In the 1881 census there were 9,606 people recorded with the Chandler surname, ranking it #446 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 13,466, ranked #473, down from #446 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to London parishes, St Pancras and Lambeth. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Stroud, Chichester and Dover.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Chandler is 14,216 in 1999. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 40.2%.

1881 census count

9,606

Ranked #446

Modern count

13,466

2016, ranked #473

Peak year

1999

14,216 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Chandler had 9,606 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #446 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 13,466 in 2016, ranked #473.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 13,261 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Chandler surname distribution map

The map shows where the Chandler surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Chandler surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Chandler over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 6,680 #416
1861 historical 6,533 #430
1881 historical 9,606 #446
1891 historical 10,598 #416
1901 historical 12,182 #429
1911 historical 13,261 #369
1997 modern 13,549 #449
1998 modern 14,178 #447
1999 modern 14,216 #449
2000 modern 14,054 #450
2001 modern 13,718 #450
2002 modern 13,990 #452
2003 modern 13,713 #449
2004 modern 13,571 #455
2005 modern 13,216 #459
2006 modern 13,148 #463
2007 modern 13,202 #467
2008 modern 13,263 #468
2009 modern 13,590 #470
2010 modern 13,765 #472
2011 modern 13,668 #469
2012 modern 13,366 #470
2013 modern 13,710 #468
2014 modern 13,738 #473
2015 modern 13,600 #472
2016 modern 13,466 #473

Geography

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Where Chandlers are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around London parishes, St Pancras, Lambeth and St Giles Camberwell. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Stroud, Chichester, Dover and Melton. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 London parishes London 1
2 London parishes London 3
3 St Pancras London (North Districts)
4 Lambeth London (South Districts)
5 St Giles Camberwell London (South Districts)

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Stroud 006 Stroud
2 Chichester 005 Chichester
3 Stroud 005 Stroud
4 Dover 001 Dover
5 Melton 001 Melton

Forenames

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First names often paired with Chandler

These lists show first names that appear often with the Chandler surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Chandler

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Chandler, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities

Group

Rural Amenity

Nationally, the Chandler surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Chandler household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Wider pattern

Pervasive throughout the UK, members of this Supergroup typically own (or are buying) their detached, semi-detached or terraced homes. They are also typically educated to A Level/Highers or degree level and work in skilled or professional occupations. Typically born in the UK, some families have children, although the median adult age is above 45 and some property has become under-occupied after children have left home. This Supergroup is pervasive not only in suburban locations, but also in neighbourhoods at or beyond the edge of cities that adjoin rural parts of the country.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

London Fringe

Within London, Chandler is most associated with areas classed as London Fringe, part of Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Predominantly located in neighbourhoods on the outskirts of Greater London, residents of these neighbourhoods typically have their highest qualifications below degree (Level 4) level, with those still in work engaged in skilled trades and occupations in distribution, hotels and restaurants. There is low ethnic diversity in these neighbourhoods and high levels of Christian religious affiliation. Detached or terraced houses predominate, often with spare rooms.

Wider London pattern

The age distribution of these neighbourhoods is skewed towards the middle-aged and old, although few residents live alone or in communal establishments and numbers of dependent children are around average. Owner occupation is the norm, as is residence in detached or semi-detached houses. Residential densities are low and many households have spare rooms. Most residents were born in the UK and, aside from some identifying as members of Chinese or Indian ethnicities, identify as White. Mixed ethnicity households are rare. Incidence of married couples is higher than average and few individuals have never been married. A large proportion of individuals still in employment work in administrative and secretarial occupations, or in the construction industry. Few residents are students, and many households own more than one car.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Chandler is most concentrated in decile 9 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

9
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Chandler falls in decile 10 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

10
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Chandler is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Chandler, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Chandler

The surname Chandler originated in England during the Anglo-Saxon period. It derives from the Old English word "candel" (candle) combined with the agent suffix "-er", meaning one who made or sold candles. The earliest recorded spelling dates back to the late 11th century, shortly after the Norman Conquest of England in 1066.

The Domesday Book, a great survey of land and landholders completed in 1086, mentions several individuals with variations of the surname, such as Candeler and Candelor. This suggests the name was already established in various parts of England by the late 11th century.

In the 13th century, records show the surname Chandler appearing in various locations across England, including London, Kent, Somerset, and Yorkshire. The different spellings included Chaundeler, Chaundler, and Chandler, reflecting regional variations in pronunciation and spelling at the time.

One of the earliest known bearers of the name was John Chaundeler, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Worcestershire in 1275. Another early record is of William Chaundeler, who was listed in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1279.

Over the centuries, the Chandler surname has been associated with several notable individuals, such as Thomas Chandler (1693-1766), an English non-juror and controversial writer, and Samuel Chandler (1693-1766), an English non-conformist minister and writer. In the United States, notable Chandlers include Zachariah Chandler (1813-1879), a U.S. Senator from Michigan, and Raymond Chandler (1888-1959), the renowned American novelist and screenwriter known for his hardboiled crime fiction.

Other notable Chandlers throughout history include John Chandler (1760-1844), a British Army officer and Member of Parliament; Joseph Chandler (1776-1867), an English Unitarian minister and academic; and Seth Carlo Chandler (1846-1913), an American astronomer who discovered the Chandler wobble in the Earth's axis of rotation.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Chandler families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Chandler surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Middlesex leads with 1,645 Chandlers recorded in 1881 and an index of 1.75x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 1,645 1.75x
Surrey 1,569 3.43x
Kent 743 2.32x
Gloucestershire 671 3.65x
Hampshire 535 2.78x
Sussex 429 2.71x
Berkshire 321 4.56x
Wiltshire 316 3.81x
Essex 284 1.53x
Yorkshire 269 0.29x
Warwickshire 259 1.09x
Lancashire 249 0.22x
Suffolk 215 1.88x
Bedfordshire 188 3.87x
Buckinghamshire 176 3.10x
Cambridgeshire 153 2.57x
Worcestershire 144 1.17x
Leicestershire 135 1.30x
Hertfordshire 119 1.84x
Huntingdonshire 108 5.80x
Staffordshire 108 0.34x
Norfolk 101 0.70x
Somerset 95 0.63x
Durham 88 0.32x
Herefordshire 77 2.00x
Derbyshire 69 0.47x
Oxfordshire 66 1.14x
Northumberland 59 0.42x
Lincolnshire 45 0.30x
Shropshire 42 0.52x
Glamorgan 37 0.23x
Northamptonshire 36 0.41x
Nottinghamshire 35 0.28x
Devon 34 0.17x
Dorset 31 0.50x
Monmouthshire 31 0.46x
Cheshire 28 0.14x
Royal Navy 14 1.25x
Lanarkshire 11 0.04x
Montgomeryshire 11 0.51x
Channel Islands 10 0.36x
Radnorshire 9 1.19x
Cumberland 7 0.09x
Roxburghshire 7 0.41x
Angus 6 0.07x
Merionethshire 5 0.29x
Brecknockshire 4 0.21x
Cardiganshire 4 0.17x
Cornwall 4 0.04x
Flintshire 4 0.16x
Midlothian 4 0.03x
Renfrewshire 4 0.06x
Denbighshire 3 0.08x
Perthshire 2 0.05x
Pembrokeshire 1 0.03x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Lambeth in Surrey leads with 198 Chandlers recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.42x.

Place Total Index
Lambeth 198 2.42x
Camberwell 156 2.60x
Newington 146 4.21x
St Pancras London 122 1.61x
Stroud 118 32.94x
Battersea 104 3.01x
Islington London 104 1.14x
St George Hanover Square 103 6.23x
Birmingham 98 1.24x
Portsea 92 2.44x
Hackney London 87 1.65x
Kensington London 86 1.65x
West Ham 84 2.05x
Bethnal Green London 79 1.94x
Paddington London 76 2.20x
Lewisham 73 4.28x
Reading St Mary 71 12.58x
St Marylebone London 67 1.34x
Reading St Giles 66 9.55x
Headley 64 122.37x
Bermondsey 60 2.15x
Shoreditch London 60 1.47x
Chelsea London 59 2.09x
Mile End Old Town London 58 2.90x
Croydon 57 2.25x
Brighton 54 1.69x
Hammersmith London 53 2.29x
Chertsey 47 15.91x
Stonehouse 46 43.98x
Kingston On Thames 45 4.10x
Wendover 45 73.57x
Bromley London 44 2.13x
Deal 44 16.11x
Leighton Buzzard 41 19.61x
Southwark St George Martyr 41 2.17x
St Lawrence 41 18.62x
Westminster St Margaret 39 8.61x
Acton 37 6.72x
Ash Next Sandwich 37 52.23x
Millbrook 37 7.64x
Farnham 36 10.12x
Putney 36 8.42x
Deptford St Paul 34 1.38x
Clerkenwell London 33 1.49x
Aston 32 0.49x
Enfield 31 5.03x
Burbage 30 70.91x
St George In East London 30 3.40x
Tring 30 17.37x
Cheltenham 29 2.04x
St Andrewthe Less 29 4.27x
Willesden 29 3.28x
Clapham 28 2.39x
Haslingfield 28 115.61x
Liverpool 28 0.41x
Wandsworth 28 3.10x
Lodsworth 27 123.23x
Ramsgate 27 5.17x
Ipswich St Margaret 26 6.70x
Rotherhithe 26 2.24x
St Giles In Fields London 26 5.65x
Dudley 25 1.68x
Standish 25 156.94x
Marlborough St Peter St 24 56.21x
Mitcham 24 8.30x
Pendleton In Salford 24 1.81x
Randwick 24 66.17x
Tewkesbury 24 14.61x
Ash Normandy 23 37.02x
Cheshunt 23 10.17x
Cratfield 23 144.38x
Southampton St Mary 23 1.90x
Streatham 23 3.30x
Toxteth Park 23 0.61x
Wimbledon 23 4.48x
Bromsgrove 22 5.33x
Westminster St John 22 1.92x
Frensham 21 31.28x
Graffham 21 192.84x
Plumstead 21 1.97x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Chandler surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 580
Elizabeth 369
Sarah 333
Ann 200
Eliza 190
Jane 184
Ellen 171
Emma 158
Alice 154
Emily 146
Annie 125
Martha 93
Louisa 89
Charlotte 88
Maria 72
Hannah 68
Edith 66
Caroline 62
Kate 60
Harriet 59
Florence 57
Lucy 53
Margaret 53
Fanny 52
Harriett 51
Rose 50
Clara 49
Ada 47
Amelia 42
Anne 39
Frances 38
Susan 38
Catherine 34
Esther 33
Sophia 27
Agnes 26
Matilda 25
Lydia 24
Minnie 24
Amy 23
Susannah 22
Ruth 21
Anna 19
Ethel 19
Jessie 19
Laura 18
Rosa 18
Rhoda 17
Gertrude 16
Julia 16

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Chandler surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
William 652
John 428
George 372
Thomas 297
Henry 265
James 246
Charles 236
Alfred 124
Joseph 124
Arthur 121
Edward 111
Frederick 111
Richard 93
Albert 76
Walter 75
Robert 68
Samuel 68
Harry 62
Edwin 41
Ernest 41
Frank 41
Stephen 31
David 30
Wm. 27
Francis 26
Herbert 26
Benjamin 25
Daniel 25
Tom 20
Thos. 18
Fred 14
Isaac 14
Chas. 13
Geo. 13
Horace 13
Sydney 13
Fredrick 12
Percy 12
Sidney 12
Peter 10
Amos 9
Edmund 9
Fredk. 9
Willm. 9
Josiah 8
Mark 8
Ralph 8
Allen 7
Job 7
Philip 7

Top occupations

Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Chandler households.

FAQ

Chandler surname: questions and answers

How common was the Chandler surname in 1881?

In 1881, 9,606 people were recorded with the Chandler surname. That placed it at #446 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Chandler surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 13,466 in 2016. That gives Chandler a modern rank of #473.

What does the Chandler surname mean?

An occupational surname for a candle maker or seller, derived from the Old French word "chandelier."

What does the Chandler map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Chandler bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.