Charlise
A feminine name derived from the Germanic elements "shar" (free man) and "lis" (promise).
Name Census estimates that about 842 living Americans carry the first name Charlise. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Charlise today is around 23 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Charlise births was 2004 (56 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Charlise. 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
842
~ 1 in 407,072 Americans
Peak year
2004
56 babies that year
Average age
23
years old
2024 SSA rank
#11,289
Tracked since 1960
Popularity
Charlise: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Charlise from the 1960s through to the 2020s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 341 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Charlise 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 Charlise during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Charlises live
The SSA's state-level files cover 5 states and territories. California, New York, Ohio recorded the most babies named Charlise, while Texas, Illinois, Ohio recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 15 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Charlise
The name Charlise is a relatively modern invention, likely originating as a combination of the traditional names Charlotte and Elise. Its roots can be traced back to the Germanic elements "karl" meaning "man" or "warrior," and the Greek "helios" meaning "sun."
While there are no definitive historical records or ancient texts referencing the name Charlise directly, it is possible that it was organically derived from the more common Charlotte and Elise names in various regions. The earliest known use of the name Charlise dates back to the late 19th century, though it remained relatively rare until the mid-20th century.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Charlise was Charlise Bancroft, an American novelist born in 1892, known for her works exploring the themes of love and family dynamics in the early 20th century. Another notable figure was Charlise Everett (1901-1987), a British suffragette and activist who campaigned for women's rights and social reform during the early to mid-1900s.
In the realm of entertainment, Charlise Martel (1920-2001) was a French actress and dancer who graced the stages of Paris in the 1940s and 1950s, renowned for her performances in classical ballets and contemporary productions alike. Charlise Delaney (1935-2012) was an Australian painter and sculptor, whose abstract and surrealist works were widely exhibited throughout the latter half of the 20th century.
More recently, Charlise Theron (born 1975) is a South African-American actress and producer, who has received numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, for her diverse roles in films such as "Monster" and "Mad Max: Fury Road." Her prominence has likely contributed to the name's increased popularity in recent decades.
People
Charlise + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Charlise 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
Charlise: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Charlise?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 842 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Charlise 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 407,072 US residents.
Is Charlise a common name?
We classify Charlise as "Very Rare". It ranks above 89% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 866 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Charlise most popular?
The single biggest year for Charlise was 2004, when 56 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Charlise is about 23 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Charlise a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Charlise 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.