Charles
Charles was the 48th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 5,898 babies. Its best year was 1880, when it ranked 4th; the most babies were born in 1947 (40,781). Over the last ten years it has moved up 2 places. More babies were named Charles in the 1940s than in any other decade.
Meaning man, free man · Germanic
Say it CHARLZ /ˈtʃɑrlz/
- Rank in 2025
- #48 boys, down 2 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 5,898boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 194740,781 babies
- Total since 1880
- 2,447,135babies recorded
What does the name Charles mean?
Charles comes through French and Latin Carolus from Germanic karl, 'man' or 'free man'; it is related to English 'churl'. Charlemagne (Charles the Great) made it a royal name across Europe, and kings of France, England, Spain and others followed. Charlotte is a French feminine pet form of it.
*karilaz (Proto-Germanic, “free man”)karl (Old High German, “man”)
How sure is this? Well established.
See also: Germanic names.
Nicknames for Charles
The usual nicknames for Charles are Charlie, Chuck, Chaz, Chip and Chas. Some parents skip the long form: for every 100 boys named Charles in the last five years, 37 were named Charlie, against 10 twenty years earlier.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Boys, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charlie · also for Charlotte, Charleigh, Charlene | Traditional | #145 | 10,777 |
| Chuck · also for Charlie | Traditional | #8,381 | 31 |
| Chaz | Traditional | #4,568 | 226 |
| Chip · traditionally used for a Charles Jr. | Traditional | #4,274 | 174 |
| Chas | Traditional | #12,383 | 5 |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are boys given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Charless go by each one.
Charles popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 12,476 since 1880, 10 in 2025.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #48 | 5,898 |
| 2020 | #46 | 6,249 |
| 2010 | #63 | 7,106 |
| 2000 | #51 | 7,525 |
| 1990 | #38 | 12,000 |
| 1980 | #29 | 14,959 |
| 1970 | #21 | 22,411 |
| 1960 | #13 | 29,677 |
| 1950 | #9 | 39,095 |
| 1940 | #6 | 31,689 |
| 1930 | #6 | 31,867 |
| 1920 | #5 | 28,309 |
| 1910 | #7 | 4,784 |
| 1900 | #5 | 4,098 |
| 1890 | #5 | 4,061 |
| 1880 | #4 | 5,348 |
How popular is Charles, counting every spelling?
Charles has no other common spelling that sounds the same. Counting every name's spellings together, it ranks #55 for boys in 2025, against #48 on the official list, because Kayden/Kaiden/Caden and Aiden/Ayden/Aidan and Weston/Westin/Westyn move ahead once their spellings are combined.
How many kids will share the name Charles?
5,898 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Charles (1.64 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Charles born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is about 1 in 33. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 1 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Charles.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Charles?
About 1,169,600 people born in the US named Charles are alive today, with a median age of 59; half are between 39 and 72. That makes Charles a name most people associate with older generations.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Charles by state
How common Charles was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in District of Columbia (3.9×), Vermont (3.5×), New Hampshire (2.6×), Maine (2.4×), Massachusetts (2.3×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in California, New Mexico, Arizona.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Charles: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Charles, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Charles · Sibling names for Charles
Questions about the name Charles
What does Charles mean?
Charles means “man, free man” (Germanic origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Charles?
Charles was the 48th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 5,898 babies. Its best year was 1880, when it ranked 4th; the most babies were born in 1947 (40,781). Over the last ten years it has moved up 2 places. More babies were named Charles in the 1940s than in any other decade.
Is Charles a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Charles in the US.
Where is Charles most popular?
In 2021–2025, Charles was most common in District of Columbia (13.14 per 1,000 boys), followed by Vermont and New Hampshire.