Charley

Meaning: Free man
Origin: Variant of Charlie (from Germanic)

Girl's name · #760 in the US (2025) · 2010s wave

82% girls · 18% boys — For most of its history Charley was mostly a boys' name; since around 1989 most babies named Charley have been girls. Charley →

Popularity over time

Charley's best rank, #489, came in 2014; it has settled back to #760 today. Roughly 11,000 girls have been named Charley since 1901.

Across the states

See where Charley is more common.

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 35 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Around the world

See how Charley ranks in other countries and regions.

#761 in Ireland (2025) · #1,527 in England & Wales (2025) · #1,056 in Canada (2024).

Famous Charleys

Charley Toorop — Dutch painter (1891–1955)
Charley Hull — English professional golfer
Charley Webb — English actress
Charley Boone — American soccer player
Charley Baginsky — British executive, rabbi and Jewish organizational leader

In stories & tradition

Charley Pollard — Storm Warning (radio series)

What Charleys become

Among 248 notable people named Charley:

Sports figures appear 3.06× more often than among typical names — e.g. Charley Hull, English professional golfer.

Spellings & nicknames

Together with its spelling variants Charlie (#133), Charlee (#417), and Charli (#496), Charley would rank around #60 with about 3,900 births last year — the newborns split about 57/19/15/9 across Charlie, Charlee, Charli, and Charley.

Similar names: Carly · Averie · Karis · Harlee · Kimber · Marlee

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

About · Privacy Policy · Terms of Service