Charlene

Charlene: name meaning, origin & popularity

Meaning: “free woman”
Origin: Germanic
Say it: shar-LEEN · 2 syllables
Used for: Girls

Feminine form of Charles, ultimately from Germanic Karl meaning 'man' or 'free man'. Charlene developed in French and English usage.

English names French names Classic names Vintage names

How popular is Charlene?

202435.0 per million US babies

Drag the line or the slider to read any year. Values are per million US births recorded by Social Security. Records before about 1937 undercount births, so early peaks can look taller than they were.

Compare with another name

Babies named Charlene in 2024115

2024 rank#1,749 girls

Peak year1949

Total US babies since 1880134,011

Charlene is steady now but far below its 1949 peak.

Names like Charlene

Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.

Charlottefree man · French
Charlesfree man · Germanic
Carolinefree woman · French
Charleyfree man · English
Lottiefree man · English
Carlofree man · Germanic
GiancarloGod is gracious and manly · Italian
Karolinefree woman · Germanic

Charlene questions

What does the name Charlene mean?

Charlene means "free woman". It comes from Germanic. Feminine form of Charles, ultimately from Germanic Karl meaning 'man' or 'free man'. Charlene developed in French and English usage.

Is Charlene a boy or girl name?

Charlene is mainly a girl's name in US records (100% of uses since 1880).

How popular is Charlene?

115 US babies were named Charlene in 2024. Its peak year was 1949.

How do you pronounce Charlene?

Charlene is usually pronounced shar-LEEN.

Birth counts: US Social Security Administration national data, 1880–2024 (names given to 5+ babies of a sex in a year). How we write meanings.