Charelle
A French feminine name of unknown meaning.
Name Census estimates that about 406 living Americans carry the first name Charelle. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Charelle today is around 38 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Charelle births was 1989 (35 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Charelle. 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
406
~ 1 in 844,223 Americans
Peak year
1989
35 babies that year
Average age
38
years old
2003 SSA rank
#14,213
Tracked since 1969
Popularity
Charelle: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Charelle from the 1960s through to the 2000s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 178 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1980s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Charelle 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 Charelle during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Charelles live
Origin
Meaning and history of Charelle
The name Charelle is a feminine given name of French origin, derived from the Old French word "char," meaning "cart" or "wagon." It can be traced back to the Middle Ages, a time when carts and wagons were essential modes of transportation.
During the 12th and 13th centuries, the name Charelle was commonly found in areas of northern France, particularly in regions like Normandy and Picardy. It was often associated with families or individuals involved in the trade or transportation of goods, as the name reflected their occupation or proximity to these activities.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Charelle can be found in the medieval French epic poem "La Chanson de Roland," which dates back to the late 11th century. In this literary work, a character named Charelle is mentioned, though details about their role or significance are scarce.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Charelle. One such person was Charelle de Béziers, a French noblewoman who lived in the 13th century and played a role in the Albigensian Crusade, a religious conflict that took place in southern France.
Another notable Charelle was Charelle de Montfort, a 14th-century French woman who was a member of the influential Montfort family and known for her patronage of the arts and literature during her time.
In the 16th century, Charelle du Plessis was a French writer and poet who gained recognition for her works, which often explored themes of love and spirituality.
During the 17th century, Charelle de La Vallière was a French courtier and mistress of King Louis XIV, known for her beauty and influence within the royal court.
The name Charelle also made an appearance in the 18th century, with Charelle de Saint-Aubin, a French painter and engraver who was celebrated for her intricate and detailed works of art.
While the name Charelle has its roots in the French language and culture, its usage has spread to other parts of the world over time, though it remains relatively rare in comparison to more common French names.
People
Charelle + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Charelle 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
Charelle: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Charelle?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 406 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Charelle 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 844,223 US residents.
Is Charelle a common name?
We classify Charelle as "Very Rare". It ranks above 82.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 429 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Charelle most popular?
The single biggest year for Charelle was 1989, when 35 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Charelle is about 38 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Charelle a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Charelle 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.