Charlie

Did you know?

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

⭐ Famous Charlie

Charlie Chaplin

English actor and filmmaker (1889–1977)

Choose Charlie and your child shares a first name with Charlie Chaplin, an English actor and filmmaker. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Charlie, like who?” Charlie Chaplin's Wikipedia article is available in 261 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Charlie Chaplin on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: Strauss-Peyton Studio, Public domain (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 694 baby boys born in the US in 2025 was named Charlie, 2,460 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Charlie would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistoryCharlie has been in use since at least 1880, the first year US birth records were kept. That's 145 years of Charlies, and counting.
• 🏆Best yearIt was far more popular in 1881, when it ranked #20. Today it's #145, so it could be due a comeback.
• 📈Then vs nowCharlie is 5.4× more common today than it was in 2000. In 2000 it was given to about 1 in 3,720 baby boys; in 2025, about 1 in 694.
• 🚀TrendCharlie has climbed 59 places in the US rankings over the last five years and now sits at #145. Fast risers like this often keep climbing, so expect to hear it more.
• 📍Where it's lovedCharlie is most popular in Vermont, where it ranks #57, followed by Minnesota (#64) and Utah (#72). It makes the top 1,000 in almost every state.
• ⚖️Boy or girlCharlie is given to both boys and girls: 53% of the 4,620 babies named Charlie in 2025 were boys. That makes it one of the names that truly works for either.
• 💬MeaningCharlie is an English form of Charles, which means “free man”. Our records link it to English and German roots.

About the name Charlie

Charlie 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 “-lie”. US birth records list Charlie for boys from 1880 to 2025, in 146 of those 146 years. Its best year was 1881, when it ranked #20 among boy names. In 2025 it ranked #145, with 2,460 babies. Of the 4,620 US babies named Charlie in 2025, 47% were girls and 53% were boys.

Origin:English namesGerman names