Charles
Charles was given to 5,898 boys in 2025, #48 among boys’ names; 2,447,135 Americans have been recorded with it since 1880 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026).
An estimated 1.18 million Americans named Charles and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (48% of everyone recorded); the median is 59 years old and half are between 39 and 72.
Charles is the #15 most common first name among living American men and boys, by this estimate.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Charles by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Charles mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Charles is “a male given name from the Germanic languages.” Its etymology gives the sense “free man” (*karilaz).
From French Charles, from Old French Charles, Carles, from Latin Carolus, from and also reinfluenced by Frankish and Old High German Karl, from Proto-Germanic *karilaz (“free man”); compare the English word churl and the German Kerl.
/t͡ʃɑɹlz/
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Charles?
#48 among boys’ names, 2025
Charles rose from #50 in 2015 to #48 in 2025 among boys’ names, although its share of boys born fell from 3.8 to 3.5 per 1,000.
40,919 babies in 1947, the peak
Charles peaked in 1947, when 40,919 babies were given it (40,781 boys, #9 among boys’ names). The 5,908 births of 2025 (girls and boys) are 14% of that peak.
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 5,898 | #48 | 3.5 |
| 2024 | 5,613 | #51 | 3.3 |
| 2023 | 5,421 | #54 | 3.2 |
| 2022 | 5,934 | #50 | 3.4 |
| 2021 | 6,010 | #50 | 3.4 |
| 2020 | 6,249 | #46 | 3.6 |
| 2019 | 6,406 | #52 | 3.6 |
| 2018 | 6,667 | #53 | 3.7 |
| 2017 | 7,193 | #48 | 3.9 |
| 2016 | 7,127 | #52 | 3.8 |
Every recorded year (146)
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 7,204 | #50 | 3.8 |
| 2014 | 7,362 | #51 | 3.8 |
| 2013 | 7,025 | #57 | 3.7 |
| 2012 | 6,947 | #62 | 3.7 |
| 2011 | 6,987 | #61 | 3.7 |
| 2010 | 7,106 | #63 | 3.7 |
| 2009 | 7,284 | #64 | 3.7 |
| 2008 | 7,288 | #63 | 3.6 |
| 2007 | 7,452 | #62 | 3.6 |
| 2006 | 8,013 | #60 | 3.9 |
| 2005 | 7,933 | #56 | 4.0 |
| 2004 | 7,652 | #56 | 3.9 |
| 2003 | 7,696 | #57 | 3.9 |
| 2002 | 7,208 | #58 | 3.7 |
| 2001 | 7,283 | #55 | 3.7 |
| 2000 | 7,525 | #51 | 3.8 |
| 1999 | 7,525 | #50 | 3.9 |
| 1998 | 7,849 | #48 | 4.1 |
| 1997 | 7,656 | #49 | 4.1 |
| 1996 | 8,248 | #43 | 4.4 |
| 1995 | 8,478 | #44 | 4.5 |
| 1994 | 9,018 | #43 | 4.7 |
| 1993 | 9,855 | #44 | 5.0 |
| 1992 | 10,469 | #43 | 5.2 |
| 1991 | 11,336 | #38 | 5.6 |
| 1990 | 12,000 | #38 | 5.8 |
| 1989 | 12,245 | #36 | 6.1 |
| 1988 | 12,109 | #37 | 6.3 |
| 1987 | 12,173 | #35 | 6.5 |
| 1986 | 12,625 | #34 | 6.9 |
| 1985 | 12,900 | #34 | 7.0 |
| 1984 | 12,942 | #33 | 7.2 |
| 1983 | 13,212 | #33 | 7.4 |
| 1982 | 14,310 | #31 | 7.9 |
| 1981 | 14,427 | #31 | 8.1 |
| 1980 | 14,959 | #29 | 8.4 |
| 1979 | 14,806 | #28 | 8.6 |
| 1978 | 14,844 | #27 | 9.0 |
| 1977 | 14,743 | #26 | 9.0 |
| 1976 | 13,921 | #26 | 8.9 |
| 1975 | 14,574 | #25 | 9.3 |
| 1974 | 15,151 | #23 | 9.6 |
| 1973 | 15,752 | #23 | 10.1 |
| 1972 | 16,968 | #23 | 10.5 |
| 1971 | 19,851 | #22 | 11.2 |
| 1970 | 22,411 | #21 | 12.1 |
| 1969 | 21,658 | #19 | 12.1 |
| 1968 | 21,575 | #20 | 12.4 |
| 1967 | 21,288 | #20 | 12.2 |
| 1966 | 22,252 | #20 | 12.5 |
| 1965 | 23,494 | #20 | 12.6 |
| 1964 | 25,908 | #17 | 13.0 |
| 1963 | 26,762 | #16 | 13.2 |
| 1962 | 27,590 | #15 | 13.3 |
| 1961 | 29,194 | #13 | 13.7 |
| 1960 | 29,677 | #13 | 13.9 |
| 1959 | 30,797 | #11 | 14.4 |
| 1958 | 32,242 | #11 | 15.2 |
| 1957 | 34,283 | #11 | 15.9 |
| 1956 | 35,239 | #11 | 16.7 |
| 1955 | 35,365 | #11 | 17.2 |
| 1954 | 37,463 | #10 | 18.4 |
| 1953 | 38,421 | #9 | 19.5 |
| 1952 | 38,866 | #9 | 20.0 |
| 1951 | 39,406 | #9 | 20.9 |
| 1950 | 39,095 | #9 | 21.8 |
| 1949 | 40,052 | #9 | 22.6 |
| 1948 | 38,676 | #9 | 22.0 |
| 1947 | 40,781 | #9 | 22.3 |
| 1946 | 38,215 | #9 | 23.5 |
| 1945 | 32,469 | #7 | 24.1 |
| 1944 | 34,662 | #7 | 25.4 |
| 1943 | 36,632 | #7 | 25.7 |
| 1942 | 35,854 | #7 | 26.0 |
| 1941 | 32,742 | #6 | 26.7 |
| 1940 | 31,689 | #6 | 27.3 |
| 1939 | 30,789 | #6 | 27.8 |
| 1938 | 31,151 | #6 | 28.1 |
| 1937 | 30,520 | #6 | 28.6 |
| 1936 | 29,101 | #6 | 28.1 |
| 1935 | 29,983 | #6 | 28.8 |
| 1934 | 29,790 | #7 | 28.8 |
| 1933 | 28,991 | #6 | 29.2 |
| 1932 | 31,092 | #6 | 29.8 |
| 1931 | 29,934 | #6 | 28.8 |
| 1930 | 31,867 | #6 | 29.0 |
| 1929 | 29,930 | #5 | 27.8 |
| 1928 | 31,243 | #5 | 28.2 |
| 1927 | 31,941 | #5 | 28.3 |
| 1926 | 29,521 | #5 | 26.6 |
| 1925 | 29,580 | #5 | 26.5 |
| 1924 | 30,460 | #5 | 26.9 |
| 1923 | 28,966 | #5 | 26.4 |
| 1922 | 28,839 | #5 | 26.5 |
| 1921 | 29,242 | #5 | 26.5 |
| 1920 | 28,309 | #5 | 26.6 |
| 1919 | 25,192 | #5 | 25.7 |
| 1918 | 26,921 | #5 | 26.6 |
| 1917 | 24,143 | #7 | 26.1 |
| 1916 | 23,612 | #6 | 26.5 |
| 1915 | 21,960 | #7 | 25.9 |
| 1914 | 16,937 | #7 | 25.9 |
| 1913 | 13,191 | #7 | 25.7 |
| 1912 | 11,070 | #7 | 25.7 |
| 1911 | 5,725 | #7 | 25.3 |
| 1910 | 4,784 | #7 | 24.6 |
| 1909 | 4,029 | #7 | 24.6 |
| 1908 | 3,929 | #7 | 25.5 |
| 1907 | 3,884 | #6 | 26.5 |
| 1906 | 3,607 | #6 | 27.1 |
| 1905 | 3,608 | #5 | 27.3 |
| 1904 | 3,406 | #6 | 26.6 |
| 1903 | 3,213 | #5 | 26.9 |
| 1902 | 3,361 | #5 | 27.4 |
| 1901 | 3,049 | #5 | 28.6 |
| 1900 | 4,098 | #5 | 27.2 |
| 1899 | 3,147 | #5 | 29.6 |
| 1898 | 3,557 | #5 | 29.0 |
| 1897 | 3,341 | #5 | 29.6 |
| 1896 | 3,639 | #5 | 30.4 |
| 1895 | 3,633 | #5 | 30.9 |
| 1894 | 3,788 | #5 | 32.7 |
| 1893 | 3,723 | #5 | 33.1 |
| 1892 | 4,319 | #5 | 35.4 |
| 1891 | 3,640 | #5 | 36.0 |
| 1890 | 4,061 | #5 | 36.6 |
| 1889 | 4,199 | #5 | 38.0 |
| 1888 | 4,591 | #5 | 38.0 |
| 1887 | 4,031 | #5 | 39.7 |
| 1886 | 4,533 | #5 | 40.9 |
| 1885 | 4,599 | #5 | 42.7 |
| 1884 | 4,802 | #5 | 42.0 |
| 1883 | 4,826 | #4 | 46.1 |
| 1882 | 5,091 | #5 | 44.8 |
| 1881 | 4,636 | #5 | 46.0 |
| 1880 | 5,348 | #4 | 48.4 |
Ranks and shares: boys’ names in each year’s SSA file; share of all boys SSA recorded that year.
Is Charles a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Charles has been given almost only to boys: 12,476 girls in 146 years of records.
Girls and boys named Charles: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Charles, and how old are they?
1.18 million alive in 2026, estimated
That is 48% of the 2,447,135 Americans ever recorded as Charles. The median Charles alive today is 59 years old; half are between 39 and 72.
The 2020 Census counted 1,207,972 people named Charles (1,910 women and girls, 1,206,062 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 1,313,477 born in the U.S. The Census count is 8% below that prediction.
Alive today, by age
Alive today, by generation
| Generation | Born | Alive |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation | 1928-1945 | 114,000 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 428,000 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 254,000 |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 178,000 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 118,000 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 83,600 |
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 Charles born?
The states with the most babies named Charles are New York, Pennsylvania and Texas, with 20% of its births recorded by state since 1910.
| State | Since 1910 | Rank, boys | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York | 163,701 | #41 | 0.8× |
| Pennsylvania | 161,807 | #50 | 1.1× |
| Texas | 132,160 | #82 | 0.9× |
| Ohio | 127,914 | #41 | 1.1× |
| Illinois | 117,233 | #30 | 0.9× |
| California | 115,656 | #100 | 0.7× |
| North Carolina | 83,035 | #33 | 1.2× |
| Michigan | 80,658 | #31 | 0.8× |
| Georgia | 79,666 | #22 | 1.2× |
| Tennessee | 75,915 | #27 | 1.4× |
Where Charles is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Charles is most over-represented in Maryland: since 1910 it was given 1.5 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 boys’ 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 Charles 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 2,448,296 babies since 1880, Charles is the most given (100% of them). In 2025 it was given to 5,908 of their 5,908 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 Charles
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 Charles and names like it
- Compare Charles and CharlsBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 1940sCharles peaked in 1947.
- New York’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Charles since 1910.
- Germanic namesWiktionary’s origin for Charles: every such name, by how often it is given.
- The top names of 1947The year the most babies were named Charles.
- The names of the Baby BoomersMost people named Charles alive today were born 1946-1964.
- Names starting with CMost given first.