Girl name · Germanic
Charlotte
Name meaning, origin and popularity
: free man, feminine of CharlesCharlotte is a girl's name that comes from Germanic and means "free man, feminine of Charles". It is used in English, French, German, Dutch and Scandinavian.
- Meaning
- Free man, feminine of Charles
- Origin
- Germanic
- Gender
- Girl
- US rank
- #2 in 2025
Meaning and origin of Charlotte
As a girl's name, Charlotte comes from Germanic and means "free man, feminine of Charles". It is used in English, French, German, Dutch and Scandinavian.
In German, say shar-LOT-uh. Respellings are a guide; accents vary by region.
Meanings come from published name dictionaries, led by Behind the Name. How we research names
Charlotte on Nomezo lists
What our editors wrote about Charlotte on 3 lists.
“Free man; Germanic, a French feminine form of Karl. Say shar-LOT-uh”
From German girl names, popular German girl names
“The kind barn spider who saves a pig named Wilbur”
From Spider names, famous spider names and spider in other languages
“Free man, feminine of Charles; Germanic. A Brontë sister and a queen”
From Vintage girl names, royal and literary vintage names
How popular is Charlotte?
- US rank in 2025
- #2
- 13,400 babies, 8,337 per million girls
- Best rank
- #2 in 2025
- 13,400 babies that year
- Babies since 1880
- At least 453,433
- Years with under 5 are not listed
| 1880s | 2,522 per million |
|---|---|
| 1890s | 2,148 per million |
| 1900s | 2,116 per million |
| 1910s | 2,765 per million |
| 1920s | 2,991 per million |
| 1930s | 3,249 per million |
| 1940s | 3,416 per million |
| 1950s | 1,923 per million |
| 1960s | 1,327 per million |
| 1970s | 810 per million |
| 1980s | 494 per million |
| 1990s | 539 per million |
| 2000s | 1,313 per million |
| 2010s | 5,856 per million |
| 2020s | 8,022 per million |
| Year | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #7 | #7 | #6 | #6 | #5 | #3 | #3 | #3 | #4 | #2 |
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 Charlotte
Established short forms and pet names, not made-up ones.
- Lottiecommon English nickname
- Charliecommon English nickname
- Lottecommon English nickname
Other forms of Charlotte
The same name in other languages and spellings, with the same meaning and origin.
- CarlaFree man, feminine of Charles (Germanic, girl)
- CarlottaFree man, feminine of Charles (Germanic, girl)
- CarolinaFree man, feminine of Charles (Germanic, girl)
- CarolineFree man, feminine of Charles (Germanic, girl)
- LottaFree man, feminine of Charles (Germanic, girl)
- LotteFree man, feminine of Charles (Germanic, girl)
- LottieFree man, feminine of Charles (Germanic, girl)
Names with a similar meaning
- JulianaFeminine form of Julian, from the Roman family name Julius (Latin, girl)
- CarlFree man (Germanic, boy)
- CharlieFree man (Germanic, unisex)
- MarianaFeminine of Marianus, from the Roman family name Marius (Latin, girl)
- SamanthaPerhaps a feminine form of Samuel with the suffix antha (English, girl)
- AaliyahFeminine form of Aali, high, lofty, sublime (Arabic, girl)
- CarlosFree man (Germanic, boy)
- CharleneFree man (Germanic, girl)
- CharlesFree man (Germanic, boy)
- JuliaFeminine of Julius (Latin, girl)
Middle names for Charlotte
Picked from our middle-name lists with a different first letter and a shorter length, so the full name flows.
More girl names from Germanic
- EmmaWhole, universal (Germanic, girl)
- AlinaShort form of Adelina, Albina and names ending in -alina (Germanic, girl)
- AliceNobility, of noble kind (Germanic, girl)
- LouiseFamous warrior (Germanic, girl)
- AdaNoble (Germanic, girl)
- AdelaNoble (Germanic, girl)
- AdeleNoble one (Germanic, girl)
- AmeliaPossibly vigorous, brave (Germanic, girl)
- BertaBright, famous (Germanic, girl)
- HildaBattle, combat (Germanic, girl)
Charlotte: common questions
What does the name Charlotte mean?
Charlotte comes from Germanic and means "free man, feminine of Charles".
Is Charlotte a boy or girl name?
Charlotte is mainly a girl's name. In 2025, 13,400 girls and 8 boys in the US were named Charlotte, according to Social Security Administration data.
What are nicknames for Charlotte?
Common nicknames for Charlotte include Lottie, Charlie and Lotte.
How popular is the name Charlotte?
Charlotte ranked #2 in the US in 2025, with 13,400 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.
What are other forms of Charlotte?
Forms of Charlotte with the same meaning and origin include Carla (German), Carlotta (Italian), Carolina (Italian), Caroline (English) and Lotta (German).
What middle names go with Charlotte?
Middle names that flow well with Charlotte include Daisy, Dawn, Gwen, Honor and June. A different first letter and a contrasting length usually sound best.