The name Charles is a girl's name meaning "free man".

Animal Names for Girls

7 Letter Girl Names

Names Ending in S for Girls

Two Syllable Names for Girls

Sibling Names: The Ultimate Guide

Top Baby Names 2024 Revealed!

Top Baby Names 2024: The Playground Analysis

How to Name Your Baby After Your Grandma

Canada's New Top Baby Names

How to Name Your Baby After Your Grandpa

Top Baby Names 2025: The Playground Analysis

Nickname Spotlight: Getting to Gus

Rare Boys’ Names of the 1940s

Names Inspired by Tarot Cards

New Baby Name Trend: The Lu/Lou boys

Initial Names: From AJ to Zee

Edwardian Names Ready to Revive

Don't Name Your Daughter Harper

Unique Vintage Boy Names: Roscoe, Cosmo & Clive

Top Boys Name For Each Letter: a 130-year survey

The REAL Top Baby Names of All Time!

Italian Last Names with Meanings

100 Brilliant Boy Names in Translation

Vintage Surname Names Come Back Around

Names That Let You Have It Both Ways

Middle Name Trends 2025

The 100+ Poshest Names in Britain

Aquarius Baby Names Hold Water

Little Black Dress Names Are Always in Style

Mardi Gras Names: Let The Good Times Roll!

Charlie may be one of the most gender-neutral names, used in the US last year for about 2200 baby girls and 2100 baby boys. The formal Charles, by contrast, is almost totally male -- but not completely, with nine baby girls named Charles.

Elizabeth nn Elise?

What would you name b/g twins?

Names That Sound Rich

Charles

The name Charles peaked for girls at #373 in 1882. Charles is also used for boys, ranking #48 in 2025.

The name Charles is a boy's name of German, French origin meaning "free man".

German Names

French Names

French Names for Boys

German Names for Boys

7 Letter Boy Names

Names Ending in S for Boys

Names That Mean Man

Names That Mean Free

Two Syllable Names for Boys

Names that Peaked in 1880

Names that Peaked in 1883

Boy Dog Names That Start With C

Dog Names That Start With C

Animal Names for Boys

German Names that Start With C

French Names that Start With C

Charles derives from the Germanic name Karl, meaning "man" or "free man", and is a royal name in multiple European countries. A famous early bearer is Charlemagne, King of the Franks and Lombards and then Roman Emperor in the 8th-9th centuries. 
 
The word for "king" in several languages, including Slavic, Russian, and Polish, came from Charles. And, of course, Charles III is the current king of Great Britain.
 
Charles is a longtime traditional favorite that was in the Top 10 until the 1960s. Though not as popular as it once was, it's still a widely used name. 
 
The most fashionable form of Charles today is Charlie, used almost equally for girls and boys. And of course, Charlie or Charley is still used as a short form for Charles, along with the old school Chuck and new school Chas/Chaz.
 
Lately, Charles has been resuscitated by many celeb parents, from Jodie Foster to Russell Crowe, honoring a distinguished history dating back to the emperor Charlemagne—the original Charles the Great. 
 
Charles has been so well used for so long that it is virtually faceless—it can conjure up anyone from Dickens to Chaplin to Bronson. It has been an elegant royal name—designating both Bonnie Prince Charlie, leader of a 1745 rebellion, and the present king, as well as previous kings of France, Spain, England, Portugal, and Hungary. 
 
Among the well used international versions of Charles: Carl, Carlo, Carlos, Karel, Xarles, Charlot, and Siarl.

City Dog Names

Top Middle Names

Classic Baby Names

Victorian Royal Baby Names

Traditional Baby Names

Jazz Baby Names

Top 2000s Baby Names

Top 1930s Baby Names 

Top 2010s Names

Top 1940s Baby Names 

Nameberry's Top Boy Names of the 2010s

Alice in Wonderland Names

Top 1910s Baby Names 

Royal Names

Most Common Names for Boys

Catholic Baby Names (with Meanings and Popularity)

Pisces Baby Names

Top 1990s Baby Names  

Top 1900s Baby Names 

Top 1920s Baby Names 

Classic Boy Names 

Jane Austen Names for Boys 

Jane Austen Baby Names  

French Dog Names

Top 2020s Baby Names

Gossip Girl Names

Telegraph Baby Names 

Dog Names That Mean Freedom

November Baby Names

Victorian Boy Names

Names That Mean Freedom or Free

Victorian Names from the 1800s

Millennial Names

Jewish Names

Dog Names

One-Syllable Baby Names

Middle Names for Baby Girls and Boys

Saint Names For Boys 

Classic Celebrity Baby Names

Rustic Aristocrat Names

Baby Names from Books

Confirmation Names for Boys (with Meanings and Definitions)

Serious Names

One Syllable Boy Names

One Syllable Middle Names for Boys

Royal Names for Boys

Boy Names That End in S

Middle Names for Boys (with Meanings and Popularity)

Boy Names Always in the Top 1000

Top 100 Boy Names 2024

Jewish Boy Names

Saint Names

Medieval Names

German

French

Nameberry

Canada

Future

England

France

Belgium

The name Charles is currently ranked #48 in U.S. births. and peaked for boys at #4 in 1883. The name is most popular in District of Columbia, District of Columbia, and District of Columbia. Charles is occasionally used for girls in 2025.

Charles

About Charles

Popularity & trends

Charles in blog posts

Community discussions

Charles on more lists

Advanced Search

Save Charles

Year	US rank	Births	Per million
2014	—	0	0
2015	—	0	0
2016	—	0	0
2017	—	0	0
2018	—	0	0
2019	—	0	0
2020	—	0	0
2021	—	0	0
2022	—	0	0
2023	—	0	0
2024	—	0	0
2025	—	0	0