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Home › Baby Names Directory › Chapin

Chapin

♂ Boy

How to Pronounce Chapin

Pronounced CHAY-pin /ˈtʃeɪ.pɪn/Low

Meaning: Chapin is a surname from the Old French chapelain, 'chaplain,' an occupational name for someone connected to a chapel or its clergy. Carried to New England by early settlers, it became a well-established American family name and turns up now and then as a first name.Low

In 30 seconds: Chapin is an English and French surname, 'chaplain,' used as a boy's name (said CHAY-pin).
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Origin MediumEnglish
MeaningChapin is a surname from the Old French chapelain, 'chaplain,' an occupational name for someone connected to a chapel or its clergy. Carried to New England by early settlers, it became a well-established American family name and turns up now and then as a first name.
U.S. rank (2015)#10915 ↘ Falling
2015 U.S. births6 boys (0.00% of U.S. boys)
Peak year1986
Total births (all-time)≈ 233

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

peak 198619222015

U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.

SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.

History & Origin

Chapin is a surname from Old French chapelain, 'chaplain,' marking an ancestor tied to a chapel. It took root in America through early New England families, and as a given name it carries that occupational meaning while sounding crisp and modern.

It was never common as a first name, given to only about fifteen boys a year even at its peak in the mid-nineteen-eighties. A boy named Chapin then is around forty today, bearing a surname turned first name.

Did you know? The singer-songwriter Harry Chapin made the surname widely known, and its chapel origin gives it a quietly ecclesiastical history.
Overall data confidence 50%
References - Chapin — English/French surname from OF chapelain 'chaplain'; New England family; Harry Chapin bearer; factual.

Variations

ChappinChapenChaplinChapman

Nicknames

ChapChappy

Famous Bearers

  • ★Harry Chapin (1942-1981)
    American singer-songwriter and humanitarian; the name here is his surname.

If you like Chapin…

Chapman— a like occupational surname-name
Channing— a comparable Ch- surname turned first name
Chandler— a shared occupational surname origin
Carson— another surname used as a modern boy's name

Explore names like Chapin

By themerareenglishsurnamemasculine

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Frequently Asked

What does the name Chapin mean?

It is an English and French surname used as a given name, from the Old French chapelain, meaning 'chaplain.'

How do you pronounce Chapin?

It is said CHAY-pin /ˈtʃeɪ.pɪn/ - two syllables, stress on the first.

Is Chapin a boy or girl name?

Chapin is used as a boy's name.

How popular is Chapin?

It was always rare in the United States, given to only about fifteen boys a year even at its peak in the nineteen-eighties.

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