Boy name · Germanic
Charles
Name meaning, origin and popularity
: free manCharles is a boy's name that comes from Germanic and means "free man". It is used in English and French.
- Meaning
- Free man
- Origin
- Germanic
- Gender
- Boy
- US rank
- #48 in 2025
Meaning and origin of Charles
As a boy's name, Charles comes from Germanic and means "free man". It is used in English and French.
Charles is also a surname: the 526th most common in the 2020 US Census, held by 62,686 people. See the most common last names.
Meaning checked against Behind the Name. How we research names
Charles on Nomezo lists
What our editors wrote about Charles on 1 list.
“Free man; Germanic. Charlie for short; kings of France and Britain”
From Classic boy names, timeless boy names
How popular is Charles?
- US rank in 2025
- #48
- 5,898 babies, 3,453 per million boys
- Best rank
- #4 in 1880
- Most babies: 40,781 in 1947
- Babies since 1880
- At least 2,434,659
- Years with under 5 are not listed
| 1880s | 42,593 per million |
|---|---|
| 1890s | 32,296 per million |
| 1900s | 26,653 per million |
| 1910s | 25,997 per million |
| 1920s | 27,046 per million |
| 1930s | 28,696 per million |
| 1940s | 24,301 per million |
| 1950s | 17,865 per million |
| 1960s | 12,947 per million |
| 1970s | 9,870 per million |
| 1980s | 7,146 per million |
| 1990s | 4,745 per million |
| 2000s | 3,774 per million |
| 2010s | 3,724 per million |
| 2020s | 3,389 per million |
| Year | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #52 | #48 | #53 | #52 | #46 | #50 | #50 | #54 | #51 | #48 |
Source: US Social Security Administration baby-name data, 1880 to 2025, as published in 2026. Each spelling is counted separately, a name given to fewer than 5 babies of one sex in a year is left out, and few people born before 1937 have records, which is why the chart shows babies per million rather than raw counts.
Nicknames for Charles
Established short forms and pet names, not made-up ones.
- Charliecommon English nickname
- Chuckcommon English nickname
- Chazcommon English nickname
Other forms of Charles
The same name in other languages and spellings, with the same meaning and origin.
Names spelled like Charles
One or two letters apart, but from a different root: they look alike without sharing a meaning.
- CharisGrace (Greek, unisex)
Names with a similar meaning
- CharlotteFree man, feminine of Charles (Germanic, girl)
- CarlaFree man, feminine of Charles (Germanic, girl)
- CarolineFree man, feminine of Charles (Germanic, girl)
- CarolinaFree man, feminine of Charles (Germanic, girl)
- CharleneFree man (Germanic, girl)
- LottaFree man, feminine of Charles (Germanic, girl)
- LotteFree man, feminine of Charles (Germanic, girl)
- AzadFree (Persian, boy)
- AzadehFree, noble (Persian, girl)
- Carlos AlbertoFree man, noble and bright (Germanic, boy)
- CarlotaFree man, feminine of Carlos (Germanic, girl)
- CarlottaFree man, feminine of Charles (Germanic, girl)
- CarltonSettlement of free peasants (Old English, boy)
- CarlyFree man (Germanic, girl)
- CarrieFree one, from Caroline (Germanic, girl)
Middle names for Charles
Picked from our middle-name lists with a different first letter and a shorter length, so the full name flows.
More boy names from Germanic
- HugoHeart, mind (Germanic, boy)
- LiamShort for William, will helmet (Germanic, boy)
- RobertBright fame (Germanic, boy)
- LambertBright land (Germanic, boy)
- LeonardoBrave lion (Germanic, boy)
- AlaricRuler of all (Germanic, boy)
- AlbertNoble and bright (Germanic, boy)
- AlbertoNoble and bright (Germanic, boy)
- ArmandoArmy man (Germanic, boy)
- ArnoEagle (Germanic, boy)
- ArnoldEagle power (Germanic, boy)
- BaldwinBold friend (Germanic, boy)
- BernardBrave bear (Germanic, boy)
- BernardoBrave bear (Germanic, boy)
- EnzoItalian name, from Heinz, a form of Henry; popular in France (Germanic, boy)
- ErnestSerious, earnest (Germanic, boy)
- FrankOne of the Franks (Germanic, boy)
- GerardBrave spear (Germanic, boy)
Charles: common questions
What does the name Charles mean?
Charles comes from Germanic and means "free man". Checked against Behind the Name.
Is Charles a boy or girl name?
Charles is mainly a boy's name. In 2025, 10 girls and 5,898 boys in the US were named Charles, according to Social Security Administration data.
What are nicknames for Charles?
Common nicknames for Charles include Charlie, Chuck and Chaz.
How popular is the name Charles?
Charles ranked #48 in the US in 2025, with 5,898 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.
What are other forms of Charles?
Forms of Charles with the same meaning and origin include Carl (English), Carlo (Italian), Carlos (Spanish), Charlie (English) and Kale (Hawaiian).
What middle names go with Charles?
Middle names that flow well with Charles include Beau, Eli, Finn, Glenn and Heath. A different first letter and a contrasting length usually sound best.