Charly
Charly was the 3262nd most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 48 babies. Its best year was 1986, when it ranked 1841st; the most babies were born in 2014 (109). Over the last ten years it has moved down 963 places. More babies were named Charly 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
- #3,262 girls, down 1,145 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 48girls
- Girls and boys
- 70% girls, 30% boys2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2014109 babies
- Total since 1880
- 3,833babies recorded
What does the name Charly mean?
Charly 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
Charly popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Rank (boys) | Babies (girls) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #3,262 | #5,652 | 48 | 16 |
| 2020 | #2,117 | #3,429 | 86 | 32 |
| 2010 | #2,518 | #2,592 | 73 | 47 |
| 2000 | #4,680 | #2,813 | 25 | 32 |
| 1990 | #3,731 | #3,331 | 28 | 18 |
| 1980 | #4,762 | #5,017 | 15 | 7 |
| 1970 | — | — | — | — |
| 1960 | — | — | — | — |
| 1950 | — | — | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — | — | — |
| 1890 | — | #904 | — | 6 |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — |
How popular is Charly, counting every spelling?
Charly is a spelling of Charlie, a name family that ranked #127 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #3,262 for Charly 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 Charly?
48 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Charly (0.01 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Charly 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 175 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Charly.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Charly?
About 2,500 people born in the US named Charly are alive today, with a median age of 16; half are between 9 and 29. That makes Charly mostly worn by children and young adults.
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.
Charly by state
How common Charly was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Utah (7.8×). In 43 states fewer than five girls a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Charly: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Charly, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Charly
What does Charly mean?
Charly 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 Charly?
Charly was the 3262nd most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 48 babies. Its best year was 1986, when it ranked 1841st; the most babies were born in 2014 (109). Over the last ten years it has moved down 963 places. More babies were named Charly in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Charly a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, 70% girls, 30% boys given the name Charly in the US.
Where is Charly most popular?
In 2021–2025, Charly was most common in Utah (0.35 per 1,000 girls), followed by Illinois and California.