Charley
Charley was the 760th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 356 babies. Its best year was 2014, when it ranked 489th with 641 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 240 places. More babies were named Charley in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning (as Charlie) pet form of Charles or Charlotte: man, free man · English, Germanic
- Rank in 2025
- #760 girls, down 223 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 356girls
- Girls and boys
- 82% girls, 18% boys2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2014641 babies
- Total since 1880
- 35,321babies recorded
What does the name Charley mean?
Charley is a spelling of Charlie, pronounced the same way, so it shares Charlie's meaning and origin.
Charlie began as a pet form of Charles and is now also used for Charlotte and Charlene, and as a name in its own right for both boys and girls, as Wiktionary and Wikipedia note. Charles comes from a Germanic word karl, 'man', related to Old English ceorl, 'free man', according to DMNES. Charlotte is a French feminine diminutive of Charles.
karl (Old High German, “man”)ċeorl (Old English, “free man”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Charles, Charlotte, Charley, Charlee, Chuck.
See also: Germanic names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Charlie', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
- Wikipedia, 'Charlie (given name)', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Charles', Durham University / The DMNES Editors
Charley popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Rank (boys) | Babies (girls) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #760 | #1,827 | 356 | 87 |
| 2020 | #537 | #1,801 | 561 | 83 |
| 2010 | #828 | #1,678 | 324 | 92 |
| 2000 | #2,177 | #2,226 | 73 | 44 |
| 1990 | #2,261 | #1,519 | 56 | 56 |
| 1980 | #4,761 | #1,024 | 15 | 78 |
| 1970 | — | #833 | — | 94 |
| 1960 | — | #677 | — | 134 |
| 1950 | #3,707 | #506 | 9 | 175 |
| 1940 | #2,320 | #404 | 13 | 201 |
| 1930 | #2,713 | #323 | 11 | 289 |
| 1920 | #2,087 | #249 | 18 | 485 |
| 1910 | #1,797 | #167 | 8 | 181 |
| 1900 | — | #103 | — | 224 |
| 1890 | — | #93 | — | 183 |
| 1880 | — | #59 | — | 305 |
How popular is Charley, counting every spelling?
Charley is a spelling of Charlie, a name family that ranked #127 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #760 for Charley on its own. Together these spellings went to 2,564 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charlie | 2,160 | #133 | 11,082 |
| Charley | 356 | #760 | 2,031 |
| Charly | 48 | #3,262 | 362 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Charley?
356 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Charley (0.10 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Charley born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 24 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Charley.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Charley?
About 10,800 people born in the US named Charley are alive today, with a median age of 11; half are between 7 and 17. That makes Charley a young name: most people with it are children.
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.
Charley by state
How common Charley was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Kansas (2.3×), Oklahoma (2.2×), South Carolina (2.2×), Kentucky (2.0×), Arkansas (1.9×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Nevada, Nebraska, California.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Charley: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Charley, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Charley
What does Charley mean?
Charley is a spelling of Charlie, which means “pet form of Charles or Charlotte: man, free man” (English, Germanic origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Charley?
Charley was the 760th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 356 babies. Its best year was 2014, when it ranked 489th with 641 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 240 places. More babies were named Charley in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Charley a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, 82% girls, 18% boys given the name Charley in the US.
Where is Charley most popular?
In 2021–2025, Charley was most common in Kansas (0.57 per 1,000 girls), followed by Oklahoma and South Carolina.