Charlene

Did you know?

A few things about Charlene you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.

⭐ Famous Charlene

Charlene Choi

Hong Kong actress and singer

Choose Charlene and your child shares a first name with Charlene Choi, a Hong Kong actress and singer. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Charlene, like who?” Charlene Choi's Wikipedia article is available in 27 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Charlene Choi on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: am730, CC BY 3.0 (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 16,234 baby girls born in the US in 2025 was named Charlene, 99 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Charlene would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistoryCharlene first shows up in US birth records in 1888, the first year at least 5 babies got it. It has been in use for 137 years since.
• 🏆Best yearIt was far more popular in 1949, when it ranked #100. Today it's #1,942, so it could be due a comeback.
• 🍂TrendCharlene has slipped 238 places over the last five years and now sits at #1,942. Good news if you want a familiar name that fewer kids will share.
• 💬MeaningCharlene is an English form of Charles, which means “free”. Our records link it to English, French and German roots.

About the name Charlene

Charlene is a girl name of English, French and German origin meaning “free”. It has 8 letters and 2 syllables, starting with C and ending in “-ene”. US birth records list Charlene for girls from 1888 to 2025, in 132 of those 138 years. Its best year was 1949, when it ranked #100 among girl names. In 2025 it ranked #1,942, with 99 babies.

Origin:English namesFrench namesGerman namesOld English names