Charity
Charity was given to 97 girls in 2025, #1,981 among girls’ names; 35,557 Americans have been recorded with it since 1880 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026).
An estimated 31,500 Americans named Charity and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (89% of everyone recorded); the median is 41 years old and half are between 27 and 49.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Charity by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Charity mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Charity is “a female given name from English.”
From charity in the Biblical sense of Christian love; first used by Puritans. In early Christian tradition, Faith, Hope and Charity were the martyred daughters of Saint Sophia. The names, taken from 1 Corinthians 13:13 (“And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity”) have been translated and used in many languages. The name of the sura (chapter) is one of several translations of the original Arabic.
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Charity?
#1,981 among girls’ names, 2025
Charity fell from #1,209 in 2015 to #1,981 in 2025 among girls’ names; its share of girls born fell from 0.12 to 0.06 per 1,000.
1,428 babies in 1975, the peak
Charity peaked in 1975, when 1,428 babies were given it (1,420 girls, #183 among girls’ names). The 97 births of 2025 are 7% of that peak.
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 97 | #1,981 | 0.06 |
| 2024 | 95 | #2,043 | 0.06 |
| 2023 | 118 | #1,741 | 0.07 |
| 2022 | 118 | #1,758 | 0.07 |
| 2021 | 134 | #1,570 | 0.08 |
| 2020 | 145 | #1,479 | 0.09 |
| 2019 | 184 | #1,261 | 0.11 |
| 2018 | 189 | #1,234 | 0.11 |
| 2017 | 197 | #1,221 | 0.11 |
| 2016 | 197 | #1,237 | 0.11 |
Every recorded year (146)
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 girls |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 206 | #1,209 | 0.12 |
| 2014 | 247 | #1,052 | 0.14 |
| 2013 | 261 | #965 | 0.15 |
| 2012 | 277 | #926 | 0.16 |
| 2011 | 310 | #848 | 0.18 |
| 2010 | 315 | #851 | 0.18 |
| 2009 | 316 | #872 | 0.17 |
| 2008 | 369 | #790 | 0.20 |
| 2007 | 439 | #670 | 0.23 |
| 2006 | 435 | #664 | 0.23 |
| 2005 | 424 | #655 | 0.23 |
| 2004 | 508 | #564 | 0.28 |
| 2003 | 535 | #529 | 0.29 |
| 2002 | 544 | #506 | 0.30 |
| 2001 | 574 | #486 | 0.32 |
| 2000 | 608 | #456 | 0.33 |
| 1999 | 482 | #525 | 0.27 |
| 1998 | 476 | #531 | 0.27 |
| 1997 | 464 | #515 | 0.27 |
| 1996 | 490 | #487 | 0.28 |
| 1995 | 495 | #495 | 0.28 |
| 1994 | 484 | #515 | 0.27 |
| 1993 | 515 | #488 | 0.28 |
| 1992 | 485 | #500 | 0.26 |
| 1991 | 553 | #455 | 0.29 |
| 1990 | 536 | #457 | 0.28 |
| 1989 | 568 | #433 | 0.31 |
| 1988 | 648 | #372 | 0.36 |
| 1987 | 741 | #330 | 0.43 |
| 1986 | 856 | #288 | 0.50 |
| 1985 | 912 | #274 | 0.53 |
| 1984 | 790 | #303 | 0.47 |
| 1983 | 813 | #290 | 0.49 |
| 1982 | 859 | #284 | 0.51 |
| 1981 | 964 | #255 | 0.58 |
| 1980 | 1,061 | #243 | 0.64 |
| 1979 | 1,197 | #219 | 0.75 |
| 1978 | 1,067 | #232 | 0.70 |
| 1977 | 1,195 | #211 | 0.78 |
| 1976 | 1,205 | #203 | 0.82 |
| 1975 | 1,420 | #183 | 1.0 |
| 1974 | 1,410 | #186 | 1.0 |
| 1973 | 957 | #260 | 0.66 |
| 1972 | 583 | #371 | 0.38 |
| 1971 | 341 | #536 | 0.20 |
| 1970 | 343 | #546 | 0.20 |
| 1969 | 234 | #653 | 0.14 |
| 1968 | 115 | #967 | 0.07 |
| 1967 | 94 | #1,074 | 0.06 |
| 1966 | 99 | #1,051 | 0.06 |
| 1965 | 86 | #1,148 | 0.05 |
| 1964 | 74 | #1,296 | 0.04 |
| 1963 | 77 | #1,250 | 0.04 |
| 1962 | 81 | #1,225 | 0.04 |
| 1961 | 106 | #1,063 | 0.05 |
| 1960 | 70 | #1,312 | 0.03 |
| 1959 | 55 | #1,451 | 0.03 |
| 1958 | 51 | #1,500 | 0.03 |
| 1957 | 59 | #1,377 | 0.03 |
| 1956 | 57 | #1,380 | 0.03 |
| 1955 | 44 | #1,541 | 0.02 |
| 1954 | 38 | #1,648 | 0.02 |
| 1953 | 56 | #1,299 | 0.03 |
| 1952 | 50 | #1,370 | 0.03 |
| 1951 | 54 | #1,267 | 0.03 |
| 1950 | 55 | #1,240 | 0.03 |
| 1949 | 53 | #1,252 | 0.03 |
| 1948 | 48 | #1,328 | 0.03 |
| 1947 | 52 | #1,255 | 0.03 |
| 1946 | 49 | #1,229 | 0.03 |
| 1945 | 36 | #1,333 | 0.03 |
| 1944 | 39 | #1,276 | 0.03 |
| 1943 | 51 | #1,128 | 0.04 |
| 1942 | 42 | #1,230 | 0.03 |
| 1941 | 44 | #1,121 | 0.04 |
| 1940 | 42 | #1,119 | 0.04 |
| 1939 | 42 | #1,109 | 0.04 |
| 1938 | 40 | #1,145 | 0.04 |
| 1937 | 33 | #1,257 | 0.03 |
| 1936 | 34 | #1,234 | 0.03 |
| 1935 | 46 | #1,018 | 0.04 |
| 1934 | 30 | #1,320 | 0.03 |
| 1933 | 24 | #1,517 | 0.02 |
| 1932 | 48 | #1,017 | 0.04 |
| 1931 | 47 | #1,024 | 0.04 |
| 1930 | 41 | #1,163 | 0.04 |
| 1929 | 41 | #1,160 | 0.04 |
| 1928 | 53 | #1,029 | 0.05 |
| 1927 | 66 | #917 | 0.06 |
| 1926 | 51 | #1,046 | 0.04 |
| 1925 | 62 | #946 | 0.05 |
| 1924 | 70 | #908 | 0.06 |
| 1923 | 53 | #1,039 | 0.04 |
| 1922 | 57 | #991 | 0.05 |
| 1921 | 57 | #989 | 0.05 |
| 1920 | 63 | #915 | 0.05 |
| 1919 | 84 | #766 | 0.07 |
| 1918 | 75 | #825 | 0.06 |
| 1917 | 73 | #807 | 0.07 |
| 1916 | 79 | #770 | 0.08 |
| 1915 | 75 | #762 | 0.08 |
| 1914 | 59 | #750 | 0.08 |
| 1913 | 68 | #626 | 0.11 |
| 1912 | 55 | #673 | 0.10 |
| 1911 | 46 | #637 | 0.11 |
| 1910 | 44 | #641 | 0.11 |
| 1909 | 32 | #708 | 0.09 |
| 1908 | 50 | #511 | 0.15 |
| 1907 | 47 | #522 | 0.15 |
| 1906 | 53 | #466 | 0.18 |
| 1905 | 46 | #499 | 0.16 |
| 1904 | 44 | #495 | 0.16 |
| 1903 | 32 | #576 | 0.12 |
| 1902 | 34 | #561 | 0.13 |
| 1901 | 34 | #522 | 0.14 |
| 1900 | 44 | #509 | 0.15 |
| 1899 | 31 | #537 | 0.13 |
| 1898 | 50 | #434 | 0.19 |
| 1897 | 43 | #450 | 0.18 |
| 1896 | 39 | #462 | 0.16 |
| 1895 | 40 | #458 | 0.17 |
| 1894 | 41 | #439 | 0.18 |
| 1893 | 31 | #488 | 0.15 |
| 1892 | 35 | #460 | 0.16 |
| 1891 | 37 | #407 | 0.20 |
| 1890 | 53 | #351 | 0.28 |
| 1889 | 36 | #405 | 0.20 |
| 1888 | 47 | #348 | 0.26 |
| 1887 | 40 | #339 | 0.27 |
| 1886 | 38 | #347 | 0.26 |
| 1885 | 21 | #459 | 0.16 |
| 1884 | 31 | #359 | 0.24 |
| 1883 | 29 | #332 | 0.26 |
| 1882 | 30 | #323 | 0.28 |
| 1881 | 22 | #348 | 0.24 |
| 1880 | 29 | #290 | 0.32 |
Ranks and shares: girls’ names in each year’s SSA file; share of all girls SSA recorded that year.
Is Charity a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Charity has been given almost only to girls: 39 boys in 146 years of records.
Girls and boys named Charity: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Charity, and how old are they?
31,500 alive in 2026, estimated
That is 89% of the 35,557 Americans ever recorded as Charity. The median Charity alive today is 41 years old; half are between 27 and 49.
The 2020 Census counted 28,979 people named Charity (28,925 women and girls, 54 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 31,308 born in the U.S. The Census count is 7% below that prediction.
Alive today, by age
Alive today, by generation
| Generation | Born | Alive |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation | 1928-1945 | 216 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 888 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 10,800 |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 10,400 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 7,000 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 2,170 |
An estimate, not a count. SSA’s files count people born in the United States who received a Social Security number, so anyone born abroad is not in them; before 1937 most people got a number as adults, and their survival is counted from that age.
Living estimate: SSA births carried forward with the survival rates in SSA’s cohort life tables (2024 Trustees Report) for each birth year and sex. How the estimate is made. Count: Census Bureau, first names in the 2020 Census (released April 14, 2026; names reported 100 or more times, with the Bureau’s disclosure-avoidance adjustment).
Where are babies named Charity born?
The states with the most babies named Charity are California, Texas and Ohio, with 20% of its births recorded by state since 1910.
| State | Since 1910 | Rank, girls | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | 2,144 | not ranked | 0.5× |
| Texas | 2,081 | #2,253 | 0.7× |
| Ohio | 1,676 | not ranked | 1.0× |
| North Carolina | 1,627 | not ranked | 1.7× |
| Georgia | 1,535 | #1,241 | 1.6× |
| Florida | 1,482 | #1,737 | 1.1× |
| Tennessee | 1,334 | not ranked | 1.8× |
| Indiana | 1,188 | not ranked | 1.4× |
| Michigan | 1,127 | #1,096 | 0.8× |
| Alabama | 1,082 | not ranked | 1.8× |
Where Charity is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Charity is most over-represented in Alabama: since 1910 it was given 1.8 times as often there as its national share each year would predict.
States: SSA state file, 1910-2025, published May 8, 2026; births count girls and boys together, and the rank is among girls’ names in the state in 2025. The file leaves out any state and year with fewer than 5 babies of the name, so small states are undercounted; each ratio compares the state’s births of Charity with the births its national share predicts year by year, for states with at least 100 births of the name.
Names spelled alike
Of these 5 names spelled alike, given to 37,415 babies since 1880, Charity is the most given (95% of them). In 2025 it was given to 97 of their 97 babies (100%), again the most given.
Spelled alike: names in the SSA national file with the same pattern of letters and sounds and at most two letters apart, and Wiktionary’s listed forms; births since 1880 and in 2025, and each name’s peak year, from the SSA national file, published May 8, 2026. Some are separate names, not spellings of one.
Names that rose and fell in the same decades as Charity
Names whose births rose and fell across the same decades, measured on each decade’s share of births.
Similar histories: each decade’s share of births, from the SSA national file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
More about Charity and names like it
- Compare Charity and CharitaBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 1970sCharity peaked in 1975.
- California’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Charity since 1910.
- English namesWiktionary’s origin for Charity: every such name, by how often it is given.
- The top names of 1975The year the most babies were named Charity.
- The names of Generation XMost people named Charity alive today were born 1965-1980.
- Names starting with CMost given first.