Charlene
A feminine form of Charles made with the French diminutive ending -ene. Charles comes from a Germanic word karl, meaning free man.
Charlene in 2025
Charlene was given to 99 babies in the United States in 2025, making it the 3,556th most popular name of the year. That is roughly one in every 33,488 babies born.
The history of Charlene
Charlene reached its highest point in 1952, when 3,557 babies were given the name, ranking 204th that year. Its best-ever ranking was 194th, in 1949.
Across the 138 years of records since 1888, 134,111 babies have been named Charlene. Half of them were born before 1955, which places the name's centre of gravity with the Baby Boomers.
Charlene by decade
| Decade | Babies named Charlene | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 5 | 2,209 |
| 1890s | 40 | 1,605 |
| 1900s | 139 | 1,164 |
| 1910s | 1,282 | 789 |
| 1920s | 5,570 | 361 |
| 1930s | 13,527 | 257 |
| 1940s | 26,850 | 194 |
| 1950s | 32,798 | 198 |
| 1960s | 24,718 | 266 |
| 1970s | 12,597 | 323 |
| 1980s | 8,967 | 461 |
| 1990s | 3,869 | 754 |
| 2000s | 1,741 | 1,897 |
| 2010s | 1,348 | 2,563 |
| 2020s | 660 | 3,096 |
Where Charlene is heading
Charlene has fallen 32% over the past decade, from 146 babies in 2015 to 99 in 2025.
That is less than 5% of its 1952 peak — Charlene is now a rare name in the United States.
Names like Charlene
Names that rose and fell at the same time as Charlene.