Charley

Charley: name meaning, origin & popularity

Meaning: “free man”
Origin: English
Say it: CHAR-lee · 2 syllables
Used for: Both (32% girls, 68% boys since 1880)

Variant spelling of Charlie, a diminutive of Charles. Charles ultimately derives from Germanic Karl meaning 'man' or 'free man'.

English names American names Classic names Short names

How popular is Charley?

2024142 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 Charley in 2024473

2024 rank#729 girls

Peak year1880

Total US babies since 188034,872

Charley is steady now but far below its 1880 peak.

Names like Charley

Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.

Charliefree man · English
Charleefree man · English
Charlifree man · English
Charleighfree man · English
Charlyfree man · Germanic
Averyruler of elves · English
Riverriver · English
Sawyerwoodcutter · English

Charley questions

What does the name Charley mean?

Charley means "free man". It comes from English. Variant spelling of Charlie, a diminutive of Charles. Charles ultimately derives from Germanic Karl meaning 'man' or 'free man'.

Is Charley a boy or girl name?

Charley is used for both: about 32% of US babies named Charley since 1880 were girls.

How popular is Charley?

473 US babies were named Charley in 2024. Its peak year was 1880.

How do you pronounce Charley?

Charley is usually pronounced CHAR-lee.

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.