Charles

Meaning: Free man
Origin: 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.

#27 in Canada (2025) · #38 in Belgium (2025) · #52 in France (2025) · #75 in Australia (QLD) (2025) · #78 in New Zealand (2025) · #90 in Australia (VIC) (2025) · #94 in Australia (NSW) (2025) · #119 in England & Wales (2025) · #143 in N. Ireland (2025) · #188 in Ireland (2025) · #228 in Sweden (2025) · #253 in Switzerland (2025) and 8 more.

Famous Charleses

Charles Darwin — English naturalist and biologist (1809–1882)
Charles Dickens — English writer and journalist (1812–1870)
Charles de Gaulle — French general and statesman (1890–1970)
Charles Baudelaire — French poet and critic (1821–1867)
Charles III — King of the United Kingdom since 2022 (born 1948)
Charles Leclerc — Monégasque racing driver (born 1997)
Charles I of England — King of England, Scotland and Ireland from 1625 to 1649 (1600–1649)
Charles II of England — King of England, Scotland, and Ireland from 1660 to 1685 (1630–1685)
Charles V — Holy Roman Emperor from 1519 to 1556 (1500–1558)
Charles Bronson — American actor (1921–2003)

In stories & tradition

Charles (Professor X) — Giant-Size X-Men #1 (comics)
Charles (Mr. Burns) — Fictional character from The Simpsons franchise

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 2,200 boys a year are given Charlie as their full name and 88 Charley.

Similar names: Charlie · William · Carter · Robert · Miles · Edward

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

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