Chardonnay is a female

Female

Female is the sex of an organism, or a part of an organism, which produces non-mobile ova .- Defining characteristics :The ova are defined as the larger gametes in a heterogamous reproduction system, while the smaller, usually motile gamete, the spermatozoon, is produced by the male...

 given name

Given name

A given name, in Western contexts often referred to as a first name, is a personal name that specifies and differentiates between members of a group of individuals, especially in a family, all of whose members usually share the same family name...

. In the United Kingdom, the name was first brought into fashion by Footballers' Wives

Footballers' Wives

Footballers' Wives is a British television drama surrounding the fictional Premier League Association football club Earls Park F.C., its players, and their wives. It was broadcast on the ITV network from 8 January 2002 to 14 April 2006...

 character Chardonnay Lane-Pascoe. However, Chardonnay was in regular use as a given name in the African-American community in the United States for at least 20 years before Footballers' Wives premiered in 2002. The name comes from the type of wine called Chardonnay

Chardonnay

Chardonnay is a green-skinned grape variety used to make white wine. It is originated from the Burgundy wine region of eastern France but is now grown wherever wine is produced, from England to New Zealand...

, which itself is named after a village in France. The French place name originally meant "thistle-covered place." (Evans, 2006).

There has been criticism of its usage, with many people believing it to be a popular name amongst the lower-classes.