How to say it
CHARLZ
tʃɑrlz
Masculine
Charles
Free man
What it means
From the Germanic karl, meaning free man (as opposed to a slave or serf in early medieval social order).
Charlemagne (Charles the Great), the 8th-century king who unified most of Western Europe, fixed the Germanic karl as a royal name across the continent. England had two Stuart Charles kings in the 17th century, both contentious, and the current King Charles III revived the name's royal weight in 2022. The Spanish Carlos and Italian Carlo are where the name lives day-to-day in the Romance-speaking world, and both are top-twenty boys' names in their home countries. In English, the formal Charles is usually reserved for paperwork. The daily-life forms are Charlie, Chuck, and Chaz.
How to spell Charles
The standard spelling is Charles. Common variants include Carl, Karl, Carlos, Carlo, Charlie, but Charles is the most widely used form.
Popularity over time
peaked at #4 in 1880, currently #48 in 2025.
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, names given to at least 5 babies in a year, 1880–2025. Reviewed July 2026. See where the names are moving
Heads-up notes
- Nickname
Charlie reads warm and current; Chuck reads mid-century. Carl is technically a cousin, not a nickname. Worth choosing the short form before family decides for you.
Who's worn it
Historical figures, characters, and public faces who share the name. The cultural surface, for whatever weight you want to give it.
- Charles Dickens Victorian novelist, Oliver Twist and A Tale of Two Cities
- Charles Darwin Naturalist behind On the Origin of Species
- King Charles III Current British monarch, ascended 2022
- Charles M. Schulz Cartoonist, creator of Peanuts
Spelling variants
- Carl
- Karl
- Carlos
- Carlo
- Charlie
Names with the same feeling
See Charles from another angle
By meaning
By style
Common questions
- What does the name Charles mean?
- From the Germanic karl, meaning free man (as opposed to a slave or serf in early medieval social order).
- What does Charles mean in Germanic?
- In Germanic, Charles means "Free man." Charlemagne (Charles the Great), the 8th-century king who unified most of Western Europe, fixed the Germanic karl as a royal name across the continent. England had two Stuart Charles kings in the 17th century, both contentious, and the current King Charles III revived the name's royal weight in 2022. The Spanish Carlos and Italian Carlo are where the name lives day-to-day in the Romance-speaking world, and both are top-twenty boys' names in their home countries. In English, the formal Charles is usually reserved for paperwork. The daily-life forms are Charlie, Chuck, and Chaz.
- How do you pronounce Charles?
- Charles is pronounced tʃɑrlz. Say it as CHARLZ, with the stress on the "charlz" syllable.
- How do you spell Charles?
- The standard spelling is Charles. Common spelling variants include Carl, Karl, Carlos, Carlo, Charlie.
- Is Charles a boy or girl name?
- Charles is traditionally a masculine name.
- How popular is the name Charles?
- Charles ranked #48 in the U.S. in 2025, according to Social Security Administration data.