Charley
Variant spelling of Charlie, the pet form of Charles. The Germanic source Karl means free man.
Charley in 2025
Charley was given to 443 babies in the United States in 2025 — 87 boys and 356 girls, making it the 1,280th most popular name of the year. That is roughly one in every 7,484 babies born.
The history of Charley
Charley reached its highest point in 2014, when 719 babies were given the name, ranking 876th that year. Its best-ever ranking was 135th, in 1880.
Across the 146 years of records since 1880, 35,321 babies have been named Charley. Half of them were born before 1947, which places the name's centre of gravity with the Baby Boomers.
Charley has switched sex over its history: it went mostly to boys in its early decades, and goes mostly to girls today.
Charley by decade
| Decade | Babies named Charley | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 2,550 | 135 |
| 1890s | 1,755 | 255 |
| 1900s | 1,645 | 317 |
| 1910s | 3,609 | 445 |
| 1920s | 4,137 | 533 |
| 1930s | 2,554 | 675 |
| 1940s | 1,954 | 830 |
| 1950s | 1,466 | 1,098 |
| 1960s | 1,032 | 1,468 |
| 1970s | 802 | 1,966 |
| 1980s | 1,013 | 1,958 |
| 1990s | 1,095 | 2,356 |
| 2000s | 2,359 | 1,422 |
| 2010s | 6,234 | 876 |
| 2020s | 3,116 | 945 |
Where Charley is heading
Charley has fallen 36% over the past decade, from 689 babies in 2015 to 443 in 2025.
Names like Charley
Names that rose and fell at the same time as Charley.