Charles

Meaning: Free man
Origin: French (from Germanic)

Nicknames: Charlie, Chip, Charley, Chaz, Chas

Boy's name · #48 in the US (2025) · Timeless

Popularity over time

Charles has held steady since 1880, standing at #48 in 2025. At one stretch it held the national top 10 for 75 consecutive years.

Across the states

See where Charles is more common.

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 51 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Around the world

See how Charles ranks in other countries and regions.

#38 in Belgium (2025) · #52 in France (2025) · #76 in Australia (QLD) (2025) · #78 in New Zealand (2025) · #90 in Australia (VIC) (2025) · #94 in Australia (NSW) (2025) · #119 in England & Wales (2025) · #144 in N. Ireland (2025) · #189 in Ireland (2025) · #228 in Sweden (2025) · #253 in Switzerland (2025) · #305 in Scotland (2025) and 6 more.

Famous Charleses

Charles Darwin — English naturalist and biologist (1809–1882)
Charles Dickens — English novelist and social critic (1812–1870)
Charles de Gaulle — French general and statesman (1890–1970)
Charles Baudelaire — French poet and critic (1821–1867)
Charles III — British politician (born 1948)

In stories & tradition

Charles (Professor X) — Giant-Size X-Men #1 (comics)
Charles (Mr. Burns) — The Simpsons (TV series)

What Charleses become

Among 27,301 notable people named Charles:

Military figures appear 3.06× more often than among typical names — e.g. Charles de Gaulle, French general and statesman (1890–1970).

Spellings & nicknames

Earlier generations knew Chic — the standard of the 1930s. About 4,400 boys a year are given Charlie as their full name and 88 Charley.

Similar names: Carlos · Peter · Carter · John · Louis · Robert

Browse more boy names — popularity, trends and eras for 5,700+ American names, free.

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