Charles
Meaning & Origin
Meaning: Free Man
Background: The name Charles originates from the Germanic name 'Karl,' meaning 'free man.' This term was adopted into Old French as 'Charles,' and further traced back to the Latin 'Carolus,' which maintained the same meaning.
At a glance
Quick stats based on the history of this name.
Lifetime rank
#9
Total births
2,441,151
Most popular decade
1940s
(1,089,678 births)
10-year trend
→ Steady
Years in Top 100
145
First recorded year
1880
Gender usage
99.5% male
0.5% female
Stats by gender
Male
- First year
- 1880
- First year births
- 5,348
- First year rank
- #4
- Peak year
- 1947
- Peak year births
- 40,779
- Peak rank
- #9
- Most recent year
- 2024
- Recent year births
- 5,593
- Recent rank
- #51
Female
- First year
- 1880
- First year births
- 11
- First year rank
- #518
- Peak year
- 1927
- Peak year births
- 303
- Peak rank
- #395
- Most recent year
- 2024
- Recent year births
- 8
- Recent rank
- #11,069
Births over time
Number of babies given this name each year.
Rank over time
Popularity rank by year (1 = most popular).