Unisex name · since 1880
Charley
23,974 babies named Charley in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 1920. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #761 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #1,826 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 23,974
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
Yes -- Charley is the #1826 most popular unisex name in the U.S. today, with 23,974 recorded since 1880.
Social Security Administration records show Charley recorded 23,974 times among boys since 1880, holding rank #1826 nationally today, ahead of 87% of boys, peaking in the 1920s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #761 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #1,826 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 23,974 born since 1880
- 1920s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Charley ranks #761 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #1,826 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 23,974 born since 1880, peaking in the 1920s.
- #761 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #1,826 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 23,974
- born since 1880
- 1920s
- peak decade
Charley's 23,974 recorded births place it above 98.32% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
33 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by Texas.
How Charley compares
23,974 Top 6% higher than 94% of 13,930 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Charley's all-time total is 65x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Charley | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 23,974 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 485 | 34 | 22,252 |
Charley's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Charley splits its recorded history at 1953: 24% of all births land in the more recent half, 76% in the earlier half, leaning more toward its earlier era than today's. The single quietest year was 1997 (33 births) -- compare that against the 1920 peak of 485 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Charley popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (1920)
- 485
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Charley popularity over time - girls
11,347 total births recorded since 1901 (Charley as girls' name)
Charley by decade
1920s is the heaviest window (3,984 births, 17% of the file).
1920s was Charley's strongest decade.
3,984 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 17% of all-time use.
Charley births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s
1880s
2,550 births
- 1890s
1890s
1,755 births
- 1900s
1900s
1,633 births
- 1910s
1910s
3,530 births
- 1920s
1920s
3,984 births
- 1930s
1930s
2,423 births
- 1940s
1940s
1,852 births
- 1950s 1,414
1950s
1,414 births
- 1960s 1,021
1960s
1,021 births
- 1970s 727
1970s
727 births
- 1980s 625
1980s
625 births
- 1990s 440
1990s
440 births
- 2000s 631
2000s
631 births
- 2010s 865
2010s
865 births
- 2020s 524
2020s
524 births
What this shows Peak: 1920s at 3,984 births (17% of all-time use).
How Charley compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Charley's total volume
Charley by state
Where Charley concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Texas | | 1,732 | 7.2% |
| #2 | Oklahoma | | 1,405 | 5.9% |
| #3 | Louisiana | | 1,117 | 4.7% |
| #4 | Arkansas | | 1,050 | 4.4% |
| #5 | Mississippi | | 1,044 | 4.4% |
| #6 | Missouri | | 811 | 3.4% |
| #7 | California | | 793 | 3.3% |
| #8 | Kentucky | | 691 | 2.9% |
1,732 of 23,974 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 33 reporting states.
Charley appears in 33 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Charley? ▼
Where does Charley sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Charley most popular? ▼
Where is Charley most popular? ▼
Is Charley a unisex name? ▼
How long has the name Charley been used? ▼
What names are similar to Charley? ▼
What to do with Charley's data
- Charley's decade-level peak was the 1920s (3,984 total births); usage has since declined to 524 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Texas records the most Charleys (1,732 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Texas names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Charley
Nearby Names Like Charley
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Charley
Compare Charley side by side: Charley vs Charles Charley vs Chad Charley vs Charlie
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Charley
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Charley: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1920)
Similar record span (~145 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Charley draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.