Charles

#9,457 for girls in 2025, 10 births · #48 for boys in 2025, 5,898 births
Given to boys 99.5% of the time

Showing
Show data for
Peak · boys
1880 · 5,348 births
Debut · boys
5,348 births
In top 100 · boys
146 yrs
of 146 years
Total births · boys
2,434,659
since 1880

Charles over time

boys

Rank among boys' names. Click any year to open it.

#1#10#100rank188019001920194019601980200020201930peak #4, 1880boys
Hover or use arrow keys to read values by year; click or press Enter to open that year.

Gaps mean fewer than 5 babies received the name that year, so the SSA doesn't publish it.

Show data table
Yeargirlsboys
rankbirthsrankbirths
2025#9,45710#485,898
2024#11,1228#515,613
2023#10,3129#545,421
2022#10,3839#505,934
2021#15,2515#506,010
2020#7,96913#466,249
2019#10,4739#526,406
2018#8,14613#536,667
2017#8,77612#487,193
2016#6,90117#527,127
2015#10,8669#507,204
2014#7,63615#517,362
2013#7,74815#577,025
2012#7,80415#626,947
2011#11,1819#616,987
2010#12,2768#637,106
2009—#647,284
2008#6,79919#637,288
2007#9,53912#627,452
2006#8,23714#608,013
2005#7,13816#567,933
2004#2,92754#567,652
2003#11,3258#577,696
2002#12,1877#587,208
2001#6,32217#557,283
2000#7,15814#517,525
1999#8,22311#507,525
1998#8,01611#487,849
1997#6,16315#497,656
1996#5,06519#438,248
1995#4,51822#448,478
1994#5,01619#439,018
1993#3,77628#449,855
1992#3,41932#4310,469
1991#3,20734#3811,336
1990#2,73742#3812,000
1989#2,07260#3612,245
1988#1,49191#3712,109
1987#1,54582#3512,173
1986#1,47285#3412,625
1985#1,269106#3412,900
1984#1,179112#3312,942
1983#1,114121#3313,212
1982#1,131124#3114,310
1981#1,261102#3114,427
1980#1,161116#2914,959
1979#1,061130#2814,806
1978#1,104118#2714,844
1977#1,31588#2614,743
1976#1,122106#2613,921
1975#963129#2514,574
1974#1,133102#2315,151
1973#1,009117#2315,752
1972#982122#2316,968
1971#903146#2219,851
1970#891148#2122,411
1969#912135#1921,658
1968#906130#2021,575
1967#926122#2021,288
1966#874131#2022,252
1965#870132#2023,494
1964#920129#1725,908
1963#898136#1626,762
1962#960122#1527,590
1961#987120#1329,194
1960#926132#1329,677
1959#837150#1130,797
1958#900129#1132,242
1957#821152#1134,283
1956#792156#1135,239
1955#788148#1135,365
1954#838126#1037,463
1953#779138#938,421
1952#831121#938,866
1951#710151#939,406
1950#693154#939,095
1949#708143#940,052
1948#679150#938,676
1947#725138#940,781
1946#695134#938,215
1945#658125#732,469
1944#615142#734,662
1943#571176#736,632
1942#579163#735,854
1941#563155#632,742
1940#588140#631,689
1939#548149#630,789
1938#570144#631,151
1937#496176#630,520
1936#567133#629,101
1935#528149#629,983
1934#496168#729,790
1933#446209#628,991
1932#468197#631,092
1931#443212#629,934
1930#436237#631,867
1929#408262#529,930
1928#412271#531,243
1927#395303#531,941
1926#451225#529,521
1925#470216#529,580
1924#526186#530,460
1923#570159#528,966
1922#488199#528,839
1921#539176#529,242
1920#564163#528,309
1919#616129#525,192
1918#592144#526,921
1917#612124#724,143
1916#606123#623,612
1915#658101#721,960
1914#67175#716,937
1913#74849#713,191
1912#59667#711,070
1911#68640#75,725
1910#75332#74,784
1909#74729#74,029
1908#70930#73,929
1907#84020#63,884
1906#74224#63,607
1905#77722#53,608
1904#71024#63,406
1903#78919#53,213
1902#66725#53,361
1901#65923#53,049
1900#67628#54,098
1899#64423#53,147
1898#76819#53,557
1897#69920#53,341
1896#1,04710#53,639
1895#57827#53,633
1894#56826#53,788
1893#59423#53,723
1892#50329#54,319
1891#47529#53,640
1890#47530#54,061
1889#46828#54,199
1888#47028#54,591
1887#37233#54,031
1886#45922#54,533
1885#42824#54,599
1884#46319#54,802
1883#45118#44,826
1882#37223#55,091
1881#40517#54,636
1880#51811#45,348
First appearance
1880

In the first year the SSA published name data, Charles was already there! It came in at #4, and was given to 5,348 baby boys.


Quietest stretch: 1889–1909, when fewer than 4,400 boys a year got the name.

Where Charles is popular in 1930

  • Rank in state
  • Top 10
  • 11–50
  • 51–100
  • 101–500
  • 501+
  • Not published
Alaska: fewer than 5 boys named Charles, so not publishedAKMaine: #8 for boys · 150 births · 1 in 42 boysMEVermont: #8 for boys · 65 births · 1 in 39 boysVTNew Hampshire: #9 for boys · 79 births · 1 in 41 boysNHWashington: #9 for boys · 198 births · 1 in 48 boysWAIdaho: #7 for boys · 87 births · 1 in 40 boysIDMontana: #7 for boys · 112 births · 1 in 35 boysMTNorth Dakota: #11 for boys · 93 births · 1 in 66 boysNDMinnesota: #7 for boys · 376 births · 1 in 54 boysMNIllinois: #7 for boys · 1,736 births · 1 in 33 boysILWisconsin: #8 for boys · 450 births · 1 in 54 boysWIMichigan: #7 for boys · 1,122 births · 1 in 38 boysMINew York: #8 for boys · 2,477 births · 1 in 39 boysNYMassachusetts: #10 for boys · 841 births · 1 in 37 boysMARhode Island: #12 for boys · 116 births · 1 in 42 boysRIOregon: #7 for boys · 155 births · 1 in 36 boysORNevada: #9 for boys · 15 births · 1 in 22 boysNVWyoming: #7 for boys · 59 births · 1 in 27 boysWYSouth Dakota: #7 for boys · 114 births · 1 in 50 boysSDIowa: #7 for boys · 526 births · 1 in 37 boysIAIndiana: #7 for boys · 1,012 births · 1 in 25 boysINOhio: #7 for boys · 1,823 births · 1 in 28 boysOHPennsylvania: #7 for boys · 2,869 births · 1 in 28 boysPANew Jersey: #8 for boys · 927 births · 1 in 31 boysNJConnecticut: #10 for boys · 287 births · 1 in 40 boysCTCalifornia: #7 for boys · 842 births · 1 in 45 boysCAUtah: #14 for boys · 62 births · 1 in 80 boysUTColorado: #7 for boys · 220 births · 1 in 38 boysCONebraska: #7 for boys · 265 births · 1 in 43 boysNEMissouri: #5 for boys · 1,119 births · 1 in 25 boysMOKentucky: #4 for boys · 1,145 births · 1 in 22 boysKYWest Virginia: #4 for boys · 854 births · 1 in 20 boysWVVirginia: #5 for boys · 759 births · 1 in 29 boysVAMaryland: #5 for boys · 693 births · 1 in 18 boysMDDelaware: #5 for boys · 72 births · 1 in 22 boysDEArizona: #11 for boys · 88 births · 1 in 54 boysAZNew Mexico: #11 for boys · 67 births · 1 in 67 boysNMKansas: #4 for boys · 551 births · 1 in 27 boysKSArkansas: #6 for boys · 639 births · 1 in 27 boysARTennessee: #4 for boys · 1,160 births · 1 in 22 boysTNNorth Carolina: #5 for boys · 1,110 births · 1 in 30 boysNCSouth Carolina: #6 for boys · 507 births · 1 in 35 boysSCDistrict of Columbia: #5 for boys · 176 births · 1 in 20 boysDCOklahoma: #4 for boys · 787 births · 1 in 30 boysOKLouisiana: #5 for boys · 526 births · 1 in 36 boysLAMississippi: #6 for boys · 628 births · 1 in 32 boysMSAlabama: #5 for boys · 930 births · 1 in 29 boysALGeorgia: #6 for boys · 906 births · 1 in 31 boysGAHawaii: #12 for boys · 72 births · 1 in 46 boysHITexas: #5 for boys · 1,593 births · 1 in 37 boysTXFlorida: #5 for boys · 404 births · 1 in 29 boysFL

Hover or tap a state for its numbers.

Top states · boys
  1. West Virginia#4 · 1 in 20
  2. Tennessee#4 · 1 in 22
  3. Kentucky#4 · 1 in 22
  4. Kansas#4 · 1 in 27
  5. Oklahoma#4 · 1 in 30

Best ever in a state: #2 in Vermont, 1910.

Show every state
StateRankBirthsShare
Kansas#45511 in 27
Kentucky#41,1451 in 22
Oklahoma#47871 in 30
Tennessee#41,1601 in 22
West Virginia#48541 in 20
Alabama#59301 in 29
Delaware#5721 in 22
District of Columbia#51761 in 20
Florida#54041 in 29
Louisiana#55261 in 36
Maryland#56931 in 18
Missouri#51,1191 in 25
North Carolina#51,1101 in 30
Texas#51,5931 in 37
Virginia#57591 in 29
Arkansas#66391 in 27
Georgia#69061 in 31
Mississippi#66281 in 32
South Carolina#65071 in 35
California#78421 in 45
Colorado#72201 in 38
Idaho#7871 in 40
Illinois#71,7361 in 33
Indiana#71,0121 in 25
Iowa#75261 in 37
Michigan#71,1221 in 38
Minnesota#73761 in 54
Montana#71121 in 35
Nebraska#72651 in 43
Ohio#71,8231 in 28
Oregon#71551 in 36
Pennsylvania#72,8691 in 28
South Dakota#71141 in 50
Wyoming#7591 in 27
Maine#81501 in 42
New Jersey#89271 in 31
New York#82,4771 in 39
Vermont#8651 in 39
Wisconsin#84501 in 54
Nevada#9151 in 22
New Hampshire#9791 in 41
Washington#91981 in 48
Connecticut#102871 in 40
Massachusetts#108411 in 37
Arizona#11881 in 54
New Mexico#11671 in 67
North Dakota#11931 in 66
Hawaii#12721 in 46
Rhode Island#121161 in 42
Utah#14621 in 80
Alaska———

Ranks are within each state; “1 in N” is out of the boys born there that year. The SSA only publishes a name in a state when 5 or more babies of one sex got it.

See more about Charles
Momentum · boys
Holding steady
  • 3 spots since 2024 (#51 → #48)
  • 2 spots since 2020 (#46 → #48)
  • 2 spots since 2015 (#50 → #48)
  • Biggest jump: 6 spots in 2014 (#57 → #51)
  • Biggest drop: 6 spots in 1997 (#43 → #49)
Rise & fade · boys
Peaked on debut
  • Debuted 1880
  • Peaked 1880 at #4 (5,348 births)
  • Not yet halved from its peak
Top of the charts · boys
Top 10 for 75 yrs
  • Top 10: 75 yrs · run 1880–1954
  • Top 100: 146 yrs · run 1880–2025
  • Top 1,000: 146 yrs · run 1880–2025
Share of babies · boys
1 in 21
  • Highest: 1 in 21 boys born in 1880 were named Charles (4.8%)
  • Latest: 1 in 290 boys born in 2025 (0.35%)
Era · boys
The 1940s
  • 14.9% of all boys named Charles (361,772) were born in this decade
Show by decade
DecadeBirthsBest rankAvg rank
1880s46,656#4 (1880)#5
1890s36,848#5 (1892)#5
1900s36,184#5 (1900)#6
1910s173,535#5 (1918)#7
1920s298,031#5 (1927)#5
1930s303,218#6 (1930)#6
1940s361,772#6 (1941)#8
1950s361,177#9 (1951)#10
1960s249,398#13 (1960)#17
1970s163,021#21 (1970)#24
1980s131,902#29 (1980)#33
1990s92,434#38 (1990)#44
2000s75,334#51 (2000)#58
2010s70,024#48 (2017)#55
2020s35,125#46 (2020)#50

All figures count published births only (names given to at least 5 boys in a year). Registrations before 1937 are incomplete, so early shares and totals run low.

Charles in 1930

girls
#436
237 births · 1 in 4,751 girls
boys
#6
31,867 births · 1 in 34 boys

Top girls' names in 1930

  1. #1Mary64,153
  2. #2Betty38,240
  3. #3Dorothy30,411
  4. #4Helen19,913
  5. #5Margaret18,350
  6. #6Barbara18,279
  7. #7Patricia15,751
  8. #8Joan15,478
  9. #9Doris15,464
  10. #10Ruth14,942
  11. #436Charles237

Top boys' names in 1930

  1. #1Robert62,153
  2. #2James53,957
  3. #3John52,447
  4. #4William47,271
  5. #5Richard32,187
  6. #6Charles31,867
  7. #7Donald29,052
  8. #8George22,788
  9. #9Joseph20,981
  10. #10Edward17,352
More about 1930

girls

1,125,927 girls got a published name in 1930; 1 in 4,751 of them was named Charles, which outranked 91.7% of the 5,247 girls' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 22.3% of girls (24.6% in 1880, 7.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Charles
  1. #433Corine239
  2. #433Hope239
  3. #435Dorris238
  4. #436Charles237
  5. #436Merle237
  6. #438Jenny235
  7. #439Bertie234
  8. #439Mercedes234

Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1929
Risers
  1. ↑ 701Claudette#1,642 → #941
  2. ↑ 583Ardeth#1,212 → #629
  3. ↑ 445Julianne#1,339 → #894
  4. ↑ 376Sonja#1,223 → #847
  5. ↑ 374Armida#1,174 → #800
Fallers
  1. ↓ 348Ingrid#941 → #1,289
  2. ↓ 315Coralie#895 → #1,210
  3. ↓ 229Elenor#981 → #1,210
  4. ↓ 229Mammie#981 → #1,210
  5. ↓ 226Sibyl#902 → #1,128

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

boys

1,097,378 boys got a published name in 1930; 1 in 34 of them was named Charles, which outranked 99.9% of the 4,542 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 33.7% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Charles
  1. #3John52,447
  2. #4William47,271
  3. #5Richard32,187
  4. #6Charles31,867
  5. #7Donald29,052
  6. #8George22,788
  7. #9Joseph20,981
Biggest movers since 1929
Risers
  1. ↑ 3,094Derl#3,959 → #865
  2. ↑ 420Clive#1,378 → #958
  3. ↑ 380Farris#1,272 → #892
  4. ↑ 368Earlie#1,296 → #928
  5. ↑ 357Winton#1,272 → #915
Fallers
  1. ↓ 486Americo#729 → #1,215
  2. ↓ 433Enrico#995 → #1,428
  3. ↓ 371Eliseo#844 → #1,215
  4. ↓ 312Meyer#878 → #1,190
  5. ↓ 304Hilbert#869 → #1,173

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

See the top 100 for 1930 →