Charo
A feminine given name derived from Spanish, possibly short for "Chara" or "Chiara".
Name Census estimates that about 221 living Americans carry the first name Charo. It is a predominantly female name (97.5% of registrations). The average person named Charo today is around 51 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Charo births was 1976 (50 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Charo. 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
221
~ 1 in 1,550,925 Americans
Peak year
1976
50 babies that year
Average age
51
years old
1976 SSA rank
#5,024
Tracked since 1966
Gender
Gender distribution for Charo
Charo leans heavily female at 97.5% of total registrations, but 6 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Charo as a male name
- Ranked #5,024 in 1976
- 6 male births in 1976
- Peak: 1976 (6 births)
Charo as a female name
- Ranked #6,888 in 1981
- 9 female births in 1981
- Peak: 1976 (44 births)
Popularity
Charo: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Charo from the 1960s through to the 1980s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 208 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1970s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Charo 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 Charo during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Charos live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. South Carolina, Louisiana, Ohio recorded the most babies named Charo, while Ohio, Louisiana, South Carolina recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 5 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Charo
The name Charo is a Spanish name derived from the Latin word "carus," meaning "dear" or "beloved." It has its origins in the Iberian Peninsula, where it was used during the Roman occupation of the region.
Charo was a popular name among the Spanish nobility during the Middle Ages. It is believed that the name gained popularity after the canonization of Saint Charo, a 9th-century Spanish martyr who was killed for her Christian faith during the Moorish conquest of Spain.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Charo can be found in the 12th-century epic poem "El Cantar de Mio Cid," which tells the story of the legendary Spanish hero El Cid Campeador. In the poem, Charo is mentioned as the name of one of the characters.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Charo. One of the most famous was Charo Quintana (1928-2013), a Spanish singer and actress who gained popularity in the mid-20th century. She was known for her performances in Spanish films and television shows.
Another notable Charo was Charo Robles (1925-2005), a Mexican actress and comedian who appeared in numerous films and television shows during the Golden Age of Mexican cinema. She was renowned for her comedic talent and her ability to portray a wide range of characters.
In the world of literature, Charo Alonso de Mallorca (1923-2019) was a renowned Spanish writer and poet. She was awarded the prestigious Cervantes Prize, the highest literary honor in the Spanish-speaking world, in 2011 for her contribution to Spanish literature.
Charo Indriago (1952-2005) was a Venezuelan journalist and human rights activist who fought tirelessly for freedom of expression and democracy in her country. She was assassinated in 2005, and her death sparked outrage and protests throughout Venezuela.
Lastly, Charo Izquierdo (1940-2017) was a Spanish painter and sculptor known for her abstract and minimalist works. Her art was exhibited in galleries and museums around the world, and she was recognized as one of the most important contemporary artists in Spain.
People
Charo + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Charo 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
Charo: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Charo?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 221 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Charo 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 1,550,925 US residents.
Is Charo a common name?
We classify Charo as "Very Rare". It ranks above 75.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 244 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Charo most popular?
The single biggest year for Charo was 1976, when 50 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Charo is about 51 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Charo a female name?
Yes, 97.5% of people registered as Charo 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.