Charisse
A feminine name of French origin meaning "beloved" or "graceful".
Name Census estimates that about 4,643 living Americans carry the first name Charisse. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Charisse today is around 50 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Charisse births was 1971 (209 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Charisse. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Charisse with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
4.6K
~ 1 in 73,822 Americans
Peak year
1971
209 babies that year
Average age
50
years old
2021 SSA rank
#13,833
Tracked since 1946
Census
Charisse in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 4,826 people with the first name Charisse, which placed it at #4,026 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
#4,026
National first-name rank
People counted
4.8K
4,826 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
1.6
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
43.3% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Charisse
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Charisse is Black at 43.3%. The next largest groups are White (32.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (11.7%). 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 Charisse 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 Charisse at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American43.3% · 2,088
- White32.5% · 1,569
- Asian and Pacific Islander11.7% · 567
- Hispanic or Latino6.4% · 309
- Two or more races5.1% · 247
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 46
Popularity
Charisse: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Charisse from the 1940s through to the 2020s, spanning 9 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 1,441 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1970s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Charisse 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 Charisse during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Charisses live
The SSA's state-level files cover 20 states and territories. New York, California, Illinois recorded the most babies named Charisse, while Washington, Connecticut, Wisconsin recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 151 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Charisse
The name Charisse has its origins in the French language and culture. It is believed to have derived from the French word "chérir," which means "to cherish" or "to hold dear." The name first gained popularity in the 17th and 18th centuries, particularly among the French aristocracy.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Charisse can be found in the writings of the 17th-century French playwright, Molière. In his play "Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme," one of the characters is named Charisse. This suggests that the name was in use during that time period, at least among the upper classes of French society.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Charisse. One of the most famous was Cyd Charisse (1922-2008), an American actress and dancer known for her roles in classic Hollywood musicals such as "Singin' in the Rain" and "The Band Wagon." Her performances showcased her exceptional talent and grace as a dancer.
Another prominent figure with the name Charisse was Charisse Littlejohn (born in 1957), an American lawyer and jurist who served as a judge on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Her legal career and contributions to the judiciary have been widely recognized and respected.
In the world of literature, Charisse Zera (born in 1951) is a notable American author and poet. Her works have explored themes of identity, feminism, and the human experience, earning her critical acclaim and numerous awards.
Moving to the realm of music, Charisse Mills (born in 1976) is a Canadian singer-songwriter and musician. She has gained recognition for her soulful vocals and introspective lyrics, captivating audiences with her heartfelt performances.
Finally, Charisse Portillo (born in 1966) is a Filipino journalist and news anchor who has made significant contributions to the field of broadcast journalism in her country. Her professionalism and dedication to reporting have earned her respect and admiration from her peers and viewers alike.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals who have carried the name Charisse throughout history, each leaving their mark in their respective fields and demonstrating the versatility and enduring appeal of this beautiful name.
People
Charisse + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Charisse 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
Charisse: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Charisse?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 4,643 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Charisse 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 73,822 US residents.
Is Charisse a common name?
We classify Charisse as "Rare". It ranks above 96.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5,296 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Charisse most popular?
The single biggest year for Charisse was 1971, when 209 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Charisse is about 50 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Charisse in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 4,826 people with the name Charisse, or 1.60 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #4,026 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 Charisse 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 Charisse?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Charisse appears almost entirely female. Of the 4,823 people counted with this name, 99.8% were female and only a very small share were male. 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 Charisse?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Charisse is Black at 43.3%. The next largest groups are White (32.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (11.7%). 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 Charisse most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Charisse in the 2020 Census, accounting for 43.3% (2,088 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 Charisse in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Charisse a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Charisse 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 Charisse still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Charisse 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 Charisse 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 Charisse as a first name?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.