Charae
A feminine name of Greek origin meaning "joy" or "happiness".
Name Census estimates that about 195 living Americans carry the first name Charae. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Charae today is around 35 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Charae births was 1993 (18 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Charae. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
195
~ 1 in 1,757,715 Americans
Peak year
1993
18 babies that year
Average age
35
years old
2016 SSA rank
#13,190
Tracked since 1970
Popularity
Charae: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Charae from the 1970s through to the 2010s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 93 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Charae by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Charae during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Charaes live
Origin
Meaning and history of Charae
The given name Charae has its origins rooted in ancient Greek culture, tracing back to the 5th century BC. It is derived from the Greek word "chara," which means "joy" or "delight." The name Charae was initially used as a feminine name, signifying a joyful and delightful person.
In ancient Greek mythology, Charae was the name of one of the three Charites or Graces, the goddesses of charm, beauty, and fertility. The Charites were often depicted as beautiful maidens adorned with flowers, symbolizing the joy and grace they brought to the world.
The earliest known record of the name Charae can be found in ancient Greek literature, particularly in the works of the poet Hesiod, who lived around 700 BC. Hesiod mentioned the Charites in his famous work, "Theogony," describing them as the daughters of Zeus and Eurynome.
One of the most notable historical figures bearing the name Charae was a Greek philosopher and mathematician who lived in the 4th century BC. Charae of Samos was a student of Plato and is renowned for her contributions to the study of geometry and her work on the problem of doubling the cube.
In the 2nd century AD, a Roman woman named Charae was mentioned in an inscription found in the city of Pompeii. The inscription suggests that she held a prominent position in the city's social circles.
During the Byzantine era, a Greek noblewoman named Charae lived in the 11th century. She was known for her philanthropic work and her support of the arts and literature.
In the 16th century, a Italian Renaissance artist named Charae Merisi, also known as Caravaggio, gained fame for her revolutionary use of light and shadow in her paintings. Her works, such as "The Calling of Saint Matthew" and "Bacchus," are considered masterpieces of the Baroque period.
Another notable figure with the name Charae was a French philosopher and writer who lived in the 18th century. Charae de Gouges was a prominent advocate for women's rights and is best known for her "Declaration of the Rights of Woman and the Female Citizen," which she wrote in 1791 during the French Revolution.
People
Charae + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Charae as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with C
Other first names starting with C with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Charae: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Charae?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 195 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Charae going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 1,757,715 US residents.
Is Charae a common name?
We classify Charae as "Very Rare". It ranks above 73.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 204 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Charae most popular?
The single biggest year for Charae was 1993, when 18 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Charae is about 35 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Charae a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Charae in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.