Charles
Descends from the Germanic Karl, meaning free man or simply man. Charlemagne's fame carried it into French as Charles, the form English borrowed.
Charles in 2025
Charles was given to 5,908 babies in the United States in 2025, making it the 82nd most popular name of the year. That is roughly one in every 561 babies born.
The history of Charles
Charles reached its highest point in 1947, when 40,919 babies were given the name, ranking 13th that year. Its best-ever ranking was 5th, in 1880.
Across the 146 years of records since 1880, 2,447,135 babies have been named Charles. Half of them were born before 1949, which places the name's centre of gravity with the Baby Boomers.
Charles by decade
| Decade | Babies named Charles | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 46,879 | 5 |
| 1890s | 37,084 | 7 |
| 1900s | 36,428 | 10 |
| 1910s | 174,419 | 9 |
| 1920s | 300,191 | 8 |
| 1930s | 304,992 | 8 |
| 1940s | 363,238 | 9 |
| 1950s | 362,602 | 13 |
| 1960s | 250,687 | 18 |
| 1970s | 164,227 | 28 |
| 1980s | 132,901 | 46 |
| 1990s | 92,667 | 63 |
| 2000s | 75,495 | 85 |
| 2010s | 70,146 | 68 |
| 2020s | 35,179 | 70 |
Where Charles is heading
Charles has fallen 18% over the past decade, from 7,213 babies in 2015 to 5,908 in 2025.
Names like Charles
Names that rose and fell at the same time as Charles.