Charene
A feminine name potentially derived from an Irish language meaning "fair", "beautiful" or "gracious".
Name Census estimates that about 55 living Americans carry the first name Charene. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Charene today is around 61 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Charene births was 1958 (10 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Charene. 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.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Charene. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
55
~ 1 in 6,231,897 Americans
Peak year
1958
10 babies that year
Average age
61
years old
1980 SSA rank
#8,298
Tracked since 1948
Census
Charene in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 185 people with the first name Charene, which placed it at #40,305 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#40,305
National first-name rank
People counted
185
185 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
54.1% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Charene
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Charene is White at 54.1%. The next largest groups are Black (29.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (5.4%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Charene described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Charene at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White54.1% · 100
- Black or African American29.2% · 54
- Asian and Pacific Islander5.4% · 10
- Hispanic or Latino4.9% · 9
- Two or more races4.9% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.6% · 3
Popularity
Charene: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Charene from the 1940s through to the 1980s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1950s, with 31 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1950s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Charene 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 Charene during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Charenes live
Origin
Meaning and history of Charene
The name Charene is believed to have originated from the ancient Greek language, with its roots tracing back to the word "charis," meaning "grace" or "charm." This name gained popularity during the classical era of ancient Greece, reflecting the cultural values of beauty, elegance, and refinement.
In Greek mythology, one can find references to Charis, who was one of the three Graces or Charites – the personifications of charm, beauty, and fertility. The Charites were often depicted in art and literature as attending to the goddess Aphrodite, representing the enchanting qualities associated with love and beauty.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Charene can be found in ancient Greek inscriptions and records, although its precise origin remains uncertain. It is believed that the name might have been derived from the feminine form of the Greek word "charieis," which translates to "graceful" or "pleasing."
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Charene. One of the earliest known examples is Charene of Miletus, a Greek philosopher who lived in the 5th century BCE and was renowned for her wisdom and knowledge of the natural world.
Another prominent figure was Charene of Alexandria, a 3rd-century CE poet and scholar who gained recognition for her literary works and contributions to the intellectual circles of her time.
In the Middle Ages, the name Charene appears in various records and chronicles, although it was less commonly used during this period. One notable bearer was Charene of Arles, a 12th-century noblewoman and patron of the arts, who was known for her patronage of artists and poets.
During the Renaissance era, the name experienced a resurgence in popularity, particularly in Italy and France. Charene Vittoria Colonna, an Italian poet and writer, was a prominent figure in the 16th century, celebrated for her literary works and her close friendship with the renowned artist Michelangelo Buonarroti.
In more recent times, Charene Woodford was an American artist and illustrator who lived from 1868 to 1948, renowned for her intricate etchings and engravings that captured the beauty of nature and landscapes.
While the name Charene has maintained a relatively modest presence throughout history, its rich Greek origins and associations with grace, charm, and elegance have contributed to its enduring appeal and cultural significance.
People
Charene + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Charene 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
Charene: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Charene?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 55 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Charene 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 6,231,897 US residents.
Is Charene a common name?
We classify Charene as "Very Rare". It ranks above 55.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 69 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Charene most popular?
The single biggest year for Charene was 1958, when 10 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Charene is about 61 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Charene in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 185 people with the name Charene, or 0.06 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #40,305 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Charene in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Charene?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Charene leans strongly female. 176 people counted with this name were female (98.3%), compared with 3 male bearers (1.7%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Charene?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Charene is White at 54.1%. The next largest groups are Black (29.2%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (5.4%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Charene most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Charene in the 2020 Census, accounting for 54.1% (100 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Charene in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Charene a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Charene 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.
Is Charene still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Charene in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Charene can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
How many people have the name Charene?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.