Charleigh
A feminine given name of English origin, a variant of Charlene.
Name Census estimates that about 9,041 living Americans carry the first name Charleigh. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Charleigh today is around 10 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Charleigh births was 2019 (738 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Charleigh. 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
- • Charleigh is a relatively new arrival in the SSA data. The average bearer is just 10 years old, meaning it gained most of its traction in the last two decades.
People living today
9.0K
~ 1 in 37,911 Americans
Peak year
2019
738 babies that year
Average age
10
years old
2024 SSA rank
#763
Tracked since 1985
Popularity
Charleigh: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Charleigh from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 5,401 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Charleigh remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Charleigh 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 Charleigh during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Charleighs live
The SSA's state-level files cover 41 states and territories. Texas, Georgia, North Carolina recorded the most babies named Charleigh, while Wyoming, Montana, Maine recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 193 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Charleigh
The name Charleigh is believed to have its origins in the Old English language, specifically in the word "ceorl," which means "free man" or "peasant." This name gained popularity during the Anglo-Saxon period, which spanned from the 5th to the 11th century in what is now known as England.
In its earliest form, the name was likely spelled as "Ceorlæg" or "Cerlæg," and it was primarily used as a masculine name. Over time, the spelling evolved, and variations such as "Charlei," "Charley," and "Charleigh" emerged. The name eventually gained prominence among the English nobility and was associated with royalty and power.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Charleigh can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of land ownership and taxation in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The name appears as "Cerlæg," referring to a landowner in the county of Gloucestershire.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Charleigh or its variations. One such example is Charleigh Brewer (1619-1672), an English Puritan clergyman and author who wrote extensively on religious matters. Another prominent figure was Charleigh Goulding (1741-1809), a British naval officer who participated in several battles during the American Revolutionary War.
In the literary realm, Charleigh Browne (1804-1884) was a Scottish novelist and poet, best known for her novel "The Heir of Ardennan." Additionally, Charleigh Smyth (1838-1923) was an Irish-born Australian explorer and naturalist, recognized for his contributions to the exploration of the Australian outback.
The name Charleigh also had a presence in the world of art and culture. Charleigh Chaplin (1889-1976) was a renowned English actor, filmmaker, and comedian, widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. His iconic character, "The Tramp," has become a cultural icon and a symbol of the silent film era.
While these are just a few examples, the name Charleigh has a rich history spanning centuries and crossing various cultural and geographical boundaries. Its evolution from a humble Anglo-Saxon word to a name associated with nobility and prominence reflects the diverse and fascinating stories behind many given names.
People
Charleigh + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Charleigh 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
Charleigh: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Charleigh?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 9,041 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Charleigh 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 37,911 US residents.
Is Charleigh a common name?
We classify Charleigh as "Rare". It ranks above 97.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 9,113 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Charleigh most popular?
The single biggest year for Charleigh was 2019, when 738 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Charleigh is about 10 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Charleigh a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Charleigh 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.