Charlie

Charlie: name meaning, origin & popularity

Meaning: “free man”
Origin: English
Say it: CHAR-lee · 2 syllables
Used for: Boys (83% of all uses)

Diminutive of Charles, from Germanic Karl. Also used as a feminine nickname for Charlotte.

English names American names Names meaning noble Classic names Short names International names

How popular is Charlie?

20241,260 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 Charlie in 20244,193

2024 rank#140 girls

Peak year1880

Total US babies since 1880219,996

Charlie is rising: use over the last five years is 1.8× what it was a decade earlier.

Names like Charlie

Variants, related forms and names with the same roots.

Charleefree man · English
Charlifree man · English
Charleyfree man · English
Charleighfree man · English
Charlyfree man · Germanic
JackGod is gracious · English
Hudsonson of Hudd · English
Jacksonson of Jack · English

Charlie questions

What does the name Charlie mean?

Charlie means "free man". It comes from English. Diminutive of Charles, from Germanic Karl. Also used as a feminine nickname for Charlotte.

Is Charlie a boy or girl name?

Charlie is mainly a boy's name in US records (83% of uses since 1880).

How popular is Charlie?

4,193 US babies were named Charlie in 2024. Its peak year was 1880.

How do you pronounce Charlie?

Charlie 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.