Find out how popular the last name Charlie is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Charlie.

Charlie, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Charlie surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Charlie in America

Charlie is the 19306th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Charlie surname appeared 1,402 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Charlie.

We can also compare 2010 data for Charlie to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Charlie

The surname Charlie is thought to have originated in England during the medieval period, likely derived from the Old English word "ceorl," which referred to a freeman or peasant farmer. This name was often given as a descriptive surname to individuals who belonged to this social class or worked as agricultural laborers.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Cerle" or "Cherle." This historical document, commissioned by William the Conqueror, was a comprehensive survey of land ownership and taxation in England.

During the 13th century, the surname evolved into various spellings such as "Cherli," "Charli," and "Charlie." These variations were influenced by regional dialects and the inconsistent spelling practices of the time.

Notably, the Charlie family held lands in Staffordshire, England, as early as the 13th century. Records show that a John Charlie was a landowner in the village of Uttoxeter in 1275.

In the 14th century, the surname appears in historical records such as the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where a Robert Charlie is mentioned as a resident of Oxfordshire.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname was Sir Thomas Charlie (c. 1420 - 1495), a prominent English soldier and landowner who served under King Edward IV during the Wars of the Roses.

During the 16th century, the surname was found in various parts of England, including Yorkshire, where a Richard Charlie (c. 1530 - 1598) was a respected merchant and alderman in the city of York.

Another notable bearer of the name was Sir John Charlie (1560 - 1625), an English courtier and diplomat who served under Queen Elizabeth I and King James I.

In the 17th century, the Charlie family established themselves in the county of Dorset, where they held the manor of Charleigh (also spelled as "Charlie") near the town of Blandford Forum.

One of the most famous individuals with the surname was the English philosopher and mathematician, Charles Charlie (1642 - 1727), who made significant contributions to the development of calculus and the study of optics.

As the centuries passed, the surname Charlie continued to spread throughout England and its spellings further evolved, sometimes reflecting regional variations or the influence of other languages.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Charlie

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Charlie.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Charlie was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Charlie has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Charlie was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Charlie, please contact us.

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