# Charmian (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/charmian/  
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 | girls |
| Origin | Greek |
| Meaning | “joy” |
| Pronunciation | not recorded |
| Nicknames | none recorded |
| Variant spellings | Charmin |
| US babies named this | 473 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 0 / 473 (100% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 10, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

Diminutive form of Ancient Greek χάρμα (khárma, “joy”). According to Plutarch, the name of a servant and advisor of Cleopatra.

## What it means

Charmian is grouped under joy.

## 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 1969 | 9 | 5,106 |
| 1970 | 18 | 3,448 |
| 1971 | 10 | 5,177 |
| 1972 | 15 | 3,921 |
| 1973 | 11 | 4,925 |
| 1974 | 12 | 4,764 |
| 1975 | 8 | 6,587 |
| 1976 | 11 | 5,266 |
| 1977 | 8 | 6,977 |
| 1979 | 13 | 5,140 |
| 1980 | 6 | 9,274 |
| 1981 | 5 | 10,678 |
| 1982 | 12 | 5,594 |
| 1983 | 15 | 4,713 |
| 1986 | 8 | 7,879 |

### England and Wales, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 4 | 3,174 |
| 1998 | 3 | 3,848 |
| 2000 | 3 | 3,912 |

## People named Charmian

- Charmian Carr, American actress (1942–2016)
- Charmian Clift, Australian writer (1923–1969)
- Charmian May, English actress (1937-2002)
- Charmian London, American writer (1871-1955)

## 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.