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Charles

“Free man” — Germanic, via French origin

Boy's name · #48 in the US (2025) · Timeless

Charles has appeared in US records since 1880 — best rank #4 (1880) · 2,434,659 babies named Charles all-time · 1 in 290 boys born in 2025.

Around the world: #30 in Canada (2024) · #38 in Belgium (2025) · #52 in France (2025) · #76 in Australia (QLD) (2025) · #78 in New Zealand (2025).

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 51 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Famous Charleses

• Charles Darwin — English naturalist and biologist (1809–1882)
• Charles Dickens — English novelist and social critic (1812–1870)
• Charles de Gaulle — French general and statesman (1890–1970)
• Charles Baudelaire — French poet and critic (1821–1867)
• Charles III — King of the United Kingdom since 2022 (born 1948)

In stories & tradition

• Charles (Professor X) — Uncanny X-Men · Giant-Size X-Men #1
• Charles (Freddy Krueger) — A Nightmare on Elm Street · Dead by Daylight
• Charles (Mr. Burns) — The Simpsons

What Charleses become

Among 27,301 notable people named Charles:

Military figures appear 3.06× more often than among typical names — e.g. Charles de Gaulle, French general and statesman (1890–1970).

Browse more boy names — popularity, trends and eras for 5,700+ American names, free.

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