Charl
A diminutive French form of the name Charles, meaning "free man".
Name Census estimates that about 61 living Americans carry the first name Charl. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 64.7% of registrations being female. The average person named Charl today is around 71 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Charl births was 1956 (11 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Charl. 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
- • The typical person named Charl is about 71 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Charls were born before 1965.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Charl. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
61
~ 1 in 5,618,924 Americans
Peak year
1956
11 babies that year
Average age
71
years old
1956 SSA rank
#3,589
Tracked since 1914
Gender
Gender distribution for Charl
Charl is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 102 total registrations, 36 (35.3%) were male and 66 (64.7%) were female.
Charl as a male name
- Ranked #3,589 in 1956
- 6 male births in 1956
- Peak: 1934 (8 births)
Charl as a female name
- Ranked #8,171 in 1970
- 5 female births in 1970
- Peak: 1950 (8 births)
Popularity
Charl: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Charl from the 1910s through to the 1970s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1950s, with 43 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
Charl 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 Charl during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Charl
The name Charl has its origins in the French language, deriving from the Old French word "charl," which itself originated from the Frankish name "Karl" or "Karlaz." This name was derived from the Germanic root word "kar," meaning "man" or "warrior." The name Karl gained widespread popularity across Europe during the Middle Ages, particularly due to the influence of Charlemagne, the famous Frankish king who ruled a vast empire in the 8th and 9th centuries.
The name Charl began to appear in historical records as early as the 11th century, with notable bearers including Charl, Count of Flanders, who lived from 1083 to 1127. Another early recorded instance of the name was Charl, Duke of Lorraine, who lived from 1543 to 1608 and played a significant role in the French Wars of Religion.
During the Renaissance period, the name Charl gained further prominence in Europe, particularly in France and England. One famous bearer was Charl IX, King of France from 1560 to 1574, who was known for his role in the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre of French Protestants in 1572.
In the 17th century, the name Charl was popularized by Charl I, King of England, Scotland, and Ireland from 1625 to 1649. His reign was marked by the English Civil War, and he was eventually executed for treason, becoming a notable martyr figure for the royalist cause.
Another notable historical figure named Charl was Charl XII, King of Sweden from 1697 to 1718. He was known as one of the most renowned military leaders of his time, leading Sweden to numerous victories during the Great Northern War against Russia and its allies.
Moving into the modern era, one of the most famous bearers of the name was Charl de Gaulle, the French military leader and statesman who played a pivotal role in World War II and later served as the President of France from 1959 to 1969.
While the name Charl has its roots in French and Germanic languages, it has been adapted and used in various cultures across Europe and beyond, with variations in spelling and pronunciation. Despite its historical prominence, the name Charl has seen a decline in popularity in recent decades, though it remains a notable name with a rich cultural heritage.
People
Charl + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Charl 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
Charl: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Charl?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 61 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Charl 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 5,618,924 US residents.
Is Charl a common name?
We classify Charl as "Very Rare". It ranks above 57.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 102 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Charl most popular?
The single biggest year for Charl was 1956, when 11 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Charl is about 71 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Charl a female name?
Yes, 64.7% of people registered as Charl 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.