What does the name Charles mean?

Charles means free man; strong. From 'ceorl'.

Where does the name Charles come from?

Charles is a boy name of Germanic origin.

Is Charles a boy or a girl name?

Charles is used for both. In U.S. Social Security records, about 1% of children given the name Charles are girls and 99% are boys.

How popular is the name Charles in 2023?

Charles ranks #10490 for boys in the U.S. Social Security Administration's 2023 dataset. Its all-time U.S. peak was 1947 with 40,919 babies.

How do you pronounce Charles?

Charles is pronounced CHARLZ (1 syllable).

What are common spellings of Charles?

Charles is also written as Charlie, Carlos, Carl, Karl.

A name from Germanic · Boy

Charles

Free man; strong. From 'ceorl'.

Compare

Popularity over time

A 143-year arc in numbers.

2,423,148 U.S. births recorded from 1880–2023.

Popularity · 1880–2023

5,430 births in 2023

1880 1951 2023

Babies named per year Peak year Most recent

Meaning

A name that means something.

CFree man; strong. From 'ceorl'.

Variants & spellings

4 ways to spell "Charles".

Each transliteration carries a slightly different cultural fingerprint.

Charlie Most common Carlos Carl Karl

Famous bearers

People who carry the name Charles.

C
Charles Darwin
C
Charles Dickens

Quick answers

People often ask about Charles.

What does the name Charles mean?: Charles means free man; strong. From 'ceorl'.
Where does the name Charles come from?: Charles is a boy name of Germanic origin.
Is Charles a boy or a girl name?: Charles is used for both. In U.S. Social Security records, about 1% of children given the name Charles are girls and 99% are boys.
How popular is the name Charles in 2023?: Charles ranks #10490 for boys in the U.S. Social Security Administration's 2023 dataset. Its all-time U.S. peak was 1947 with 40,919 babies.
How do you pronounce Charles?: Charles is pronounced CHARLZ (1 syllable).
What are common spellings of Charles?: Charles is also written as Charlie, Carlos, Carl, Karl.

Similar names

If you love Charles, also consider…

Robert

#88

Boy ·Germanic

Bright fame; from 'hrod' (fame) and 'beraht' (bright)

From Old High German Ricohard — rīc, "ruler, power," + hard, "brave, strong" — i

Ruler of the home; estate ruler

Walter

#267

Boy ·Germanic

From Old High German Walthari — wald, "rule," + hari, "army" — i

A variant of Caroline, feminine of Charles — from Germanic karl meaning 'free man'

About this page

Popularity counts come from the U.S. Social Security Administration's national dataset. Meanings and origins are curated from etymological sources. If you spot an error, please let us know.