Chandler is a middle name, or surname used in various English speaking regions, mainly in England. The name Chandler is early medieval English origin and can be traced back to pre-1100AD. The derivation of the surname Chandler is from the middle English Cha(u)ndeler, the old French Chandelier, Late Latin Candelarius, a derivative of word candela a candle, from candere to be bright, with the agent suffix "-er", and Sanskrit word candra, which means pleasant, shining, moon.Chandler is an occupational name given to the members of anarchic trade dealing with candles. A medieval chandler is believed to have made and sold other articles beside candles. The name may also, more rarely, have denoted someone who was responsible for the lighting arrangements in a large house, or else one who owed rent in the form of wax or candles. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be of Matthew le Candeler, which was dated 1274, in the Hundred Rolls of London, during the reign of King Edward 1(1272-1307), known as The Hammer of the Scots.
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Overview
Most people born with the surname Chandler in modern times are descendant of peoples of England, who worked as a chandler(making and selling candles). Until about 1350, surnames were only used by the wealthy, and were usually inherited by only the eldest son, along with the family property. The poor had no need for a surname because they had no land to inherit. It was during the years 1350 to 1450 that the use of hereditary surnames became common throughout the English population. This naming, often by trade (e.g. Baker, Smith, Chandler), sometimes by location (e.g. Hill, Marsh, or the name of a town or village), occasionally by appearance (e.g. Long, Small) would have happened village by village throughout England. Consequently, most of the people acquiring the surname Chandler in this way would not have been related to each other. They would only have been occupied in the same trade. Some people born with the Chandler surname may be the descendant of followers of William(Duke of Normandy), who ruled England from 1066 A.D to 1087 A.D. They migrated to England from Normandy around the year 1200. Most of the people with surname Chandler, descend from people who gained their surname when hereditary surnames became common in England, because they were engaged in candle-making business, around the period 1350 A.D to 1450 A.D. The 1881 Census of England (before significant immigration from Britain's colonies) shows that Chandlers were 0.0355% of the population.
In America there were Chandler automobiles, and in England there are Chandler guitars. USS Chandler was a US Navy destroyer, and Chandler is the name of a suite of computer programs aimed at helping groups of people to work on projects. The Chandeleur islands in the Gulf of Mexico form the easternmost point of the state of Louisiana, and La Chandeleur is a French festival, the equivalent of Candlemas in English-speaking countries.
The name Chandler is not limited to the planet Earth. There is a crater on the moon named Chandler.
The former Kate Middleton, wife of Prince William and therefore likely to be a future Queen of England, is descended from a long line of Chandlers from Painswick in Gloucestershire, England, which has been a Chandler stronghold for centuries.
Frequency
Throughout the 20th century, the Chandler surname occurred on average at the rate of about 35 for every 100,000 of the population in English-speaking countries, though immigration is causing this Chandler ratio to decline. In the U.S., the rate was 34 per 100,000 in 1990 but 28 per 100,000 in the year 2000. Again in the U.S., the name Chandler was ranked 322 in 1990 and 379 in 2000. In the U.K., the Office for National Statistics ranked the Chandler surname at 421 in 2002.
Distribution of the name
The Chandler surname is widely distributed throughout the English-speaking world. In England, it occurs most frequently in the southern counties. The name is relatively uncommon in Scotland, Wales, Ireland and India.
Variation
Surnames in every country have continued to develop, often leading to a great range of variation of the original spelling, throughout the centiuries. A variation of the Chandler surname have been observed including, Chandelar, Chandeler, Chandeleur, Chandelor, Chander,Chanders, Chandlar, Chandlen, Chandlers, Chandles, Chandless, Chandley, Chandlor, Chandly, Chandor,Chanelar, Chaneler, Chaneley, Channeller, Chanelor, Chanler, Chanley, Chanlor, Channellor,Channiler, Chansler, Chantler, Chantller, Chaundflower (probably a mistranscription/mistranslation of Chaundeleur i.e. Chaundeleur becomes Chaundfleur becomes Chaundflower), Chandeler, Chaundler, Chaundeler, Chaundeleur, Chauntler andChawner.