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Charley

“Variant of Charlie — Free man” — Germanic, via French origin

Boy's name · #1826 in the US (2025) · Vintage

Charley has appeared in US records since 1880 — best rank #58 (1880) · 23,974 babies named Charley all-time · 1 in 20,000 boys born in 2025.

Around the world: about 1 in 18,000 boys in Canada (2024) · about 1 in 18,000 boys in Switzerland (2024).

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 7 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Famous Charleys

• Charley Patton — American Delta blues musician (1891–1934)
• Charley Paddock — American athlete and Olympic gold medalist (1900-1943)
• Charley Pride — American country musician (1934–2020)
• Charley Chase — actor, comedian, director, writer (1893–1940)
• Charley Borah — American athlete (1906–1980)

In stories & tradition

• Charley Bates — Oliver Twist
• Charley Brewster — Fright Night · Fright Night Part 2
• Charley Key — The House · The War

What Charleys become

Among 248 notable people named Charley:

Athletes appear 3.06× more often than among typical names — e.g. Charley Paddock, American athlete and Olympic gold medalist (1900-1943).

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

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