boy (SSA Category)Germanic OriginUS Rank #48 in 2025

Charles

Alternative forms & variants: Charlie, Carl, Carlos

Verified Meaning & Etymology

“Free person, valiant noble (from Germanic Karl)”

Linguistic heritage: Germanic

Pronunciation

English Phonetic:CHARLZ

IPA (US English):/ˈtʃɑːrlz/

Source: Carnegie Mellon Pronouncing Dictionary (en-US)

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Peak Popularity194740,781 births in peak year

2025 US Rank#485,908 births in 2025

Total US Registrations2,447,135Recorded since 1880

Demographic Ratio99% MaleBased on SSA application records

Historical US Popularity Trajectory

Annual recorded US births from 1880 to 2025 (US Social Security Administration)

Peak US Popularity1947 (40,781 births)

Earliest RecordYear 1880

Recent 2025 Level5,898 births

Data source: United States Social Security Administration (1880–2025). The SSA privacy policy suppresses counts under 5. Data indicates biological sex entered on Social Security applications.

Names Similar to Charles

Calculated deterministically based on shared linguistic origins, styling, and popularity tier.

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Source Citations & Review Provenance

Demographic Data:

United States Social Security Administration (SSA) National Data (1880–2025). Counts reflect 100% of Social Security card applications where year, sex, and state of birth are recorded.

Linguistic Derivation:

Meanings cross-referenced with Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Nurturepedia (MIT). Phonetics audited against the Carnegie Mellon University Pronouncing Dictionary (BSD).

Last reviewed by editorial check: 2026-10-28Submit a factual correction or inquiry →