boy's name
Charles
CHARLZ
- Origin Germanic
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 1
- Letters 7
- Popularity Top 100 (US)
- Births on record 2,758,199
the United States
#48
2025 births
Charles is a boy's name of Germanic origin meaning "free man," from karl. Charlemagne carried it into European history so thoroughly that his Latin name, Carolus, became the word for king in several Slavic languages.
- Charles is a name of Germanic origin.
- Peaked in 1947, when 40,919 babies were given the name.
- Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 561 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 1 syllable, with the stress on syllable 1.
Charles over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 46,879 |
| 1890s | 37,084 |
| 1900s | 36,428 |
| 1910s | 174,419 |
| 1920s | 300,191 |
| 1930s | 304,992 |
| 1940s | 363,238 |
| 1950s | 362,602 |
| 1960s | 250,687 |
| 1970s | 164,227 |
| 1980s | 132,901 |
| 1990s | 92,667 |
| 2000s | 75,495 |
| 2010s | 70,146 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 35,179 |
What Charles means
Charles means free man, from the Germanic karl, which denoted a free peasant as opposed to a noble or a slave. The same root gives English churl, which drifted into an insult, and the German Kerl, meaning fellow.
Where Charles comes from
Charles comes from the Germanic Karl, meaning a free man. Its European standing rests on Charlemagne — Carolus Magnus, Charles the Great — who ruled the Franks from 768 and was crowned emperor in 800. His reputation was such that his Latin name became the ordinary word for a king in Slavic languages: the Polish król, Czech král, and Russian korol all derive from Carolus. The name reached England properly with the Stuarts, since Charles I was named after his French godmother's family, and it has been carried by three English kings and by monarchs across Spain, Sweden, and the Habsburg lands. Its short form Charlie has long since become a name in its own right.
Charles in use
The Slavic words for king — król, král, korol — all derive from Charlemagne's own name.
How popular is Charles?
In 2025, Charles was given to 5,908 babies in the United States, ranking #48 that year. It is one of the most popular names in the United States.
Where Charles is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Charles
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Charles also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Charles over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
12 nicknames for Charles
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Charles in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
- Aragonese
- Carlos
- Asturian
- Carlos
- Bulgarian
- Karl
- Catalan
- Carles
- Czech
- Karel
- Estonian
- Karl
- Flemish Dutch
- Charel
- Galician
- Carlos
- German
- Karl
- Italian
- Carlo
- Lithuanian
- Karolis
- Luxembourgish
- Charel
- Polish
- Karol
- Portuguese
- Carlos
- Slovak
- Karol
- Spanish
- Carlos
- Ukrainian
- Karlo
- Other forms
- Forms we hold no single language for — some are used across several, some are simply spelled differently.
- Chip
Sibling names for Charles
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Charles — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Charles
What does the name Charles mean?
Charles means "free man," from the Germanic karl.
Is Charles connected to the word for king?
Yes. The Slavic words król, král, and korol all come from Charlemagne's Latin name, Carolus.
What are nicknames for Charles?
Charlie, Chuck, and Chas are the most common short forms.
How popular is the name Charles?
In 2025, Charles was given to 5,908 babies in the United States, ranking #48 that year. It is one of the most popular names in the United States.
Is Charles a girl's or a boy's name?
Charles is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Charles?
Charles has 1 syllable.
When was Charles most popular?
Charles peaked in 1947, when 40,919 babies were given the name. Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
Is Charles a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Charles currently ranks #30 in the United States. Its usage has held steady over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.