# Charles (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/charles/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. US counts from the Social Security Administration; England and Wales counts from the Office for National Statistics; meaning and etymology from Wiktionary. Data updated 2026-11-11.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Usually given to | boys |
| Origin | not recorded |
| Meaning | “free man” |
| Pronunciation | /t͡ʃɑɹlz/, 1 syllable |
| Nicknames | Charlie, Chas, Charley, Chic, Chaz, Chazza, Charly |
| Variant spellings | Chuck, Charla |
| US babies named this | 2,447,135 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 2,434,659 / 12,476 (1% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 33,528, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

From French Charles, from Old French Charles, Carles, from Latin Carolus, from and also reinfluenced by Frankish and Old High German Karl, from Proto-Germanic *karilaz (“free man”); compare the English word churl and the German Kerl. In reference to the Ecuadorian island, a clipping of the original name King Charles's Island, granted in honor of Charles II of England.

## Popularity

The last 15 years of each series. A year is missing when too few babies were given the name for the agency to publish it: five in the US, three in England and Wales.

### United States, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 9 | 11,377 |
| 2012 | 15 | 7,905 |
| 2013 | 15 | 7,842 |
| 2014 | 15 | 7,747 |
| 2015 | 9 | 11,084 |
| 2016 | 17 | 6,972 |
| 2017 | 12 | 8,913 |
| 2018 | 13 | 8,247 |
| 2019 | 9 | 10,652 |
| 2020 | 13 | 8,068 |
| 2021 | 5 | 15,739 |
| 2022 | 9 | 10,565 |
| 2023 | 9 | 10,490 |
| 2024 | 8 | 11,336 |
| 2025 | 10 | 9,583 |

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 6,987 | 61 |
| 2012 | 6,947 | 62 |
| 2013 | 7,025 | 57 |
| 2014 | 7,362 | 51 |
| 2015 | 7,204 | 50 |
| 2016 | 7,127 | 52 |
| 2017 | 7,193 | 48 |
| 2018 | 6,667 | 53 |
| 2019 | 6,406 | 52 |
| 2020 | 6,249 | 46 |
| 2021 | 6,010 | 50 |
| 2022 | 5,934 | 50 |
| 2023 | 5,421 | 54 |
| 2024 | 5,613 | 51 |
| 2025 | 5,898 | 48 |

### England and Wales, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 1,090 | 60 |
| 2012 | 1,088 | 62 |
| 2013 | 1,029 | 61 |
| 2014 | 1,037 | 63 |
| 2015 | 985 | 66 |
| 2016 | 910 | 72 |
| 2017 | 877 | 73 |
| 2018 | 758 | 81 |
| 2019 | 707 | 86 |
| 2020 | 646 | 88 |
| 2021 | 639 | 91 |
| 2022 | 533 | 102 |
| 2023 | 442 | 121 |
| 2024 | 452 | 119 |
| 2025 | 437 | 119 |

## In other languages

- Arabic: تْشَارْلْز, شَارْل
- Bulgarian: Карл, Чарлз, Шарл
- Catalan: Carles
- Chinese: 查理, 查爾斯 /查尔斯
- Czech: Karel
- Danish: Karl, Carl
- Dutch: Karel, Charel
- Esperanto: Karlo
- Estonian: Kaarel
- Finnish: Kaarle, Kaarlo
- French: Charles
- Georgian: კარლო, ჩარლზი, კარლი, კარლოსი
- German: Karl
- Greek: Κάρολος, Τσαρλς
- Hebrew: צ׳ארלס
- Hindi: चार्ल्स
- Hungarian: Károly
- Icelandic: Karl
- Irish: Séarlas
- Italian: Carlo

## People named Charles

- Charles Darwin, English naturalist and biologist (1809–1882)
- Charles Dickens, English novelist and social critic (1812–1870)
- Charles de Gaulle, French general and statesman (1890–1970)
- Charles Baudelaire, French poet and critic (1821–1867)
- Charles Babbage, English mathematician, philosopher, and engineer (1791–1871)
- Charles Perrault, French author (1628-1703)
- Ray Charles, American singer, pianist and songwriter (1930–2004)
- Charles Bukowski, German-American writer (1920–1994)
- Charles-Augustin de Coulomb, French physicist (1736-1806)
- Charles Aznavour, Armenian-French singer and diplomat (1924-2018)
- Charles Bronson, American actor (1921–2003)
- Charles Manson, American criminal and cult leader (1934–2017)

## How to read these numbers

A count is babies registered with that name in that year, not people alive now, so a name common a century ago can have a large total and few recent births.