Charlles
A masculine name of French origin meaning "free man".
Name Census estimates that about 8 living Americans carry the first name Charlles. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Charlles today is around 68 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Charlles births was 1957 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Charlles. 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 Charlles is about 68 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Charlles' were born before 1968.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Charlles. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
8
~ 1 in 42,844,292 Americans
Peak year
1957
5 babies that year
Average age
68
years old
1958 SSA rank
#4,043
Tracked since 1957
Popularity
Charlles: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Charlles 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 Charlles during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 10 | 0 | 10 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Charlles
The name Charlles is an English variant of the French name Charles, which is derived from the Germanic name Karl. The name Karl is thought to have originated from the Old Germanic word "karl," meaning "free man" or "husband." It was a common name among the Frankish and German nobility during the Middle Ages.
The name Charles gained widespread popularity after the reign of Charlemagne, also known as Charles the Great, who was the King of the Franks and the first Holy Roman Emperor. Charlemagne ruled from 768 to 814 AD and was a significant figure in European history, known for his military conquests, administrative reforms, and patronage of education and culture.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Charlles can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of land ownership in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. This spelling variation likely emerged due to the influence of regional dialects or scribal errors.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Charlles, including:
1. Charlles I (1600-1649), the King of England, Scotland, and Ireland from 1625 until his execution in 1649, during the English Civil War.
2. Charlles II (1630-1685), the King of England, Scotland, and Ireland from 1660 until his death, known for his lavish court and numerous mistresses.
3. Charlles V (1500-1558), the Holy Roman Emperor and King of Spain, who ruled over a vast territory in Europe and the Americas during the 16th century.
4. Charlles Dickens (1812-1870), the renowned English novelist and social critic, best known for his literary masterpieces such as "Great Expectations," "Oliver Twist," and "A Tale of Two Cities."
5. Charlles Darwin (1809-1882), the English naturalist, geologist, and biologist, famous for his groundbreaking work on the theory of evolution by natural selection, which he presented in his book "On the Origin of Species."
While the name Charlles is not as common as its more popular spelling variants, such as Charles or Charlie, it has a rich historical and cultural legacy, reflecting the influence of various languages and regional variations on name spellings over time.
People
Charlles + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Charlles 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
Charlles: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Charlles?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 8 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Charlles 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 42,844,292 US residents.
Is Charlles a common name?
We classify Charlles as "Very Rare". It ranks above 24.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 10 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Charlles most popular?
The single biggest year for Charlles was 1957, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Charlles is about 68 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
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 Charlles in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Charlles a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Charlles in the SSA data are male. 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 Charlles still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Charlles 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 Charlles 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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people are named Charlles?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.