Charles
English · Boy · 2 syllables
Popularity & facts
Relative popularity index, 2010–2025Popularity over time
Popularity indexHistorical popularity from 1880–2025 · US Social Security Administration data
About the name Charles
Charles derives from the Germanic name Karl, which means "free man" or "man" (from the root *karl meaning a common man or fellow).
Cross-referenced with Wikidata/Wikipedia. AI-assisted, community-reviewable. Suggest an improvement.
Etymology
Charles derives from the Germanic name Karl, which means "free man" or "man" (from the root *karl meaning a common man or fellow). The name was Latinized to Carolus and became widespread throughout Christian Europe, particularly among royalty and nobility, with famous bearers including Charlemagne (Charles the Great) and multiple European kings.
Charles currently ranks #48 in the United States as a boy's name. It reached its peak popularity around 1947.
Variants & nicknames
Contribute to this name
Help improve this page with a meaning, origin, or correction—and get credited as a contributor.
Share your knowledge about this name—meaning, origin, pronunciation, or correction. Your contribution is reviewed and credited with your name.
Login to contributeWe use Google & Facebook login — no password needed.
Sibling name ideas
English, French names that sit beautifully beside CharlesSimilar names you might like
Names starting with CMore names starting with C
- Caelan
- Callum
- Caleb
- Callan
- Callie
- Caetana
- Cadhla
- Caio
- Cahir
- Caitlin
- Calvin
- Caetano
- Caiden
- Calum
- Caden
- Cairo
- Cali
- Callahan
Find middle names for Charles →
🧬 See Charles's popularity the year you were born →
🔢 Get Charles's free numerology report card →
💫 Is Charles your name? Get your free “My name means…” card →
👶 Have a Charles already? Find sibling names that fit →
✨ Get stylish & fancy text versions of Charles →
Names that sound like Charles
Phonetic match, not just spelling"Carlos means "free man" and derives from the Germanic name Karl, which comes from the Old High German word "karl"…"
"Charlize is a feminine form of Charles, derived from the Germanic name Karl, which means "free man" or "man" from…"
"The name Charleigh is a modern feminine variant of Charles, meaning "free man" or "manly," derived from the Germanic element…"
"The name Carleigh is a modern feminine variant of the name Carl, derived from the Old German word *karl* meaning…"
"Carl-Johan is a compound given name meaning "free man" (from Old Norse *karl* via German *Karl*) combined with "God is…"
"Carolus means "man" or "free man" and derives from the Germanic root "Karl," which evolved through Latin into the Romanized…"
"Carolijn is the Dutch feminine form of Carolus, derived from the Germanic name Karl, meaning "free man" or "man" (from…"
"The name 'Charlise' is a modern feminine variant of 'Charles', meaning "free man" (from the Germanic root *karlaz*)."
"Charles-Henri combines two Germanic names: Charles derives from Karl (meaning "free man" or "man") and Henri derives from Heinrich (meaning…"
"Charlesia is a feminine given name meaning "free man" or "strong," derived from the Germanic root *karlaz* via the masculine…"
"Carl-Gustav combines "Carl" (from Germanic "Karl," meaning "free man" or "man") with "Gustav" (from Old Norse "Guðstafr," combining "guð" meaning…"
"Carlijn is a Dutch diminutive form of Carla, derived from the Germanic name Carl (meaning "man" or "free man"), with…"