Charley

Did you know?

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

⭐ Famous Charley

Charley Pride

American country musician (1934–2020)

Choose Charley and your child shares a first name with Charley Pride, an American country musician. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Charley, like who?” Charley Pride's Wikipedia article is available in 26 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Charley Pride on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: GREG MATHISON, Public domain (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 4,515 baby girls born in the US in 2025 was named Charley, 356 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Charley would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistoryCharley has been in use since at least 1880, the first year US birth records were kept. That's 145 years of Charleys, and counting.
• 🏆Best yearIts best year was 2014, when it reached #489.
• 📈Then vs nowCharley is 5.5× more common today than it was in 2000. In 2000 it was given to about 1 in 24,876 baby girls; in 2025, about 1 in 4,515.
• 🍂TrendCharley has slipped 223 places over the last five years and now sits at #760. Good news if you want a familiar name that fewer kids will share.
• 📍Where it's lovedCharley is most popular in Idaho, where it ranks #308, followed by Kansas (#361) and South Carolina (#373). It's in the top 1,000 in 26 states.
• ⚖️Boy or girlCharley is given to both boys and girls: 80% of the 443 babies named Charley in 2025 were girls. That makes it one of the names that truly works for either.
• 💬MeaningCharley is an English form of Charles, which means “free man”. Our records link it to English and German roots.

About the name Charley

Charley is a gender-neutral name of English and German origin meaning “free man”. It has 7 letters and 2 syllables, starting with C and ending in “-ley”. US birth records list Charley for girls from 1901 to 2025, in 99 of those 125 years. Its best year was 2014, when it ranked #489 among girl names. In 2025 it ranked #760, with 356 babies. Of the 443 US babies named Charley in 2025, 80% were girls and 20% were boys.

Origin:English namesGerman names