Charlynn
Feminine name derived from Charles, meaning "free man" or "woman".
Name Census estimates that about 640 living Americans carry the first name Charlynn. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Charlynn today is around 50 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Charlynn births was 1952 (23 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Charlynn. 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
640
~ 1 in 535,554 Americans
Peak year
1952
23 babies that year
Average age
50
years old
2024 SSA rank
#15,709
Tracked since 1940
Popularity
Charlynn: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Charlynn from the 1940s through to the 2020s, spanning 9 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1960s, with 164 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1960s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Charlynn 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 Charlynn during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Charlynns live
Origin
Meaning and history of Charlynn
The name Charlynn is a relatively modern combination of the names Charles and Lynn. It has its origins in the Germanic languages, with Charles being derived from the Germanic name Karl, meaning "man" or "free man." The name Karl was later Latinized to Carolus, which eventually became Charles.
The name Lynn, on the other hand, has its roots in the Celtic languages and is derived from the Gaelic word "linn," meaning "lake" or "pool." It was originally used as a surname, often referring to someone who lived near a lake or pool.
While the name Charlynn itself does not have a long historical record, its component names have been used for centuries. The name Charles has been popular among European royalty, with notable figures such as Charlemagne (742-814), the first Holy Roman Emperor, and Charles V (1500-1558), the Holy Roman Emperor and King of Spain.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Lynn being used as a first name dates back to the 16th century, when it was given to a character in Edmund Spenser's epic poem "The Faerie Queene" (1590-1596).
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals bearing the names Charles and Lynn, but the combined name Charlynn is relatively rare. One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Charlynn was Charlynn Fargo (1926-2014), an American actress known for her work in television and film.
Another notable figure was Charlynn Woodard (born 1951), an American actress and playwright who has appeared in numerous stage productions, including her one-woman show "Pretty Fire." Charlynn Avery (born 1963) is an American novelist and poet who has published several works, including the novel "Bright Shadow."
In the realm of sports, Charlynn Buchanan (born 1965) was a professional tennis player from the United States who achieved a career-high ranking of No. 36 in the world. Charlynn Everett (born 1962) is a former professional basketball player who played in the Women's Professional Basketball League (WBL) in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
While the name Charlynn may not have a long and storied history, it has been borne by several notable individuals across various fields, reflecting the unique blend of its component names and their respective cultural origins.
People
Charlynn + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Charlynn 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
Charlynn: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Charlynn?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 640 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Charlynn 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 535,554 US residents.
Is Charlynn a common name?
We classify Charlynn as "Very Rare". It ranks above 86.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 784 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Charlynn most popular?
The single biggest year for Charlynn was 1952, when 23 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Charlynn is about 50 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Charlynn a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Charlynn 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.