Charlena
From the French diminutive of Charles, meaning "free man" or "petite".
Name Census estimates that about 1,274 living Americans carry the first name Charlena. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Charlena today is around 51 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Charlena births was 1978 (46 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Charlena. 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
1.3K
~ 1 in 269,038 Americans
Peak year
1978
46 babies that year
Average age
51
years old
2015 SSA rank
#14,884
Tracked since 1903
Popularity
Charlena: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Charlena from the 1900s through to the 2010s, spanning 12 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 322 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
Charlena 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 Charlena during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Charlenas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 5 states and territories. California, South Carolina, Ohio recorded the most babies named Charlena, while Illinois, Alabama, Ohio recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 24 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Charlena
The name Charlena is a feminine given name with roots tracing back to the Old English and Old French languages. Its origins can be found in the combination of the Germanic elements "karl" meaning "man" or "freeman" and the French "lena" derived from the name Helena, signifying "bright" or "shining light."
In its earliest recorded use, the name Charlena appeared in medieval English records from the 12th century. During this time, it was often spelled as "Charlene" or "Charleine," reflecting the linguistic influences of the period. The name's popularity grew slowly over the centuries, particularly among families with ties to both English and French cultures.
One of the earliest documented bearers of the name Charlena was Charlena de Montfort, a noblewoman who lived in the 13th century and was known for her patronage of the arts and literature. Another notable figure was Charlena Beaumont, a 14th-century English poet whose works explored themes of love and nature.
In the 16th century, the name gained further recognition with the birth of Charlena Cavendish (1554-1628), an English aristocrat and landowner. Her life and legacy were chronicled in various historical records, providing insight into the social and political landscapes of Elizabethan England.
Moving into the 17th century, Charlena Browne (1672-1738) left her mark as a pioneering educator and advocate for women's education in colonial America. Her work paved the way for future generations of female scholars and intellectuals.
The 19th century saw the rise of Charlena Grimké (1792-1873), an American abolitionist and women's rights activist. Born into a prominent slaveholding family in South Carolina, she courageously spoke out against the institution of slavery and fought for equal rights, leaving a lasting impact on the abolitionist movement.
Throughout its history, the name Charlena has been carried by various individuals from diverse backgrounds, each contributing their unique stories and legacies to the tapestry of human experience.
People
Charlena + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Charlena 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
Charlena: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Charlena?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,274 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Charlena 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 269,038 US residents.
Is Charlena a common name?
We classify Charlena as "Rare". It ranks above 91.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,809 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Charlena most popular?
The single biggest year for Charlena was 1978, when 46 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Charlena is about 51 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Charlena a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Charlena 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.