Charley

Where Charley comes from

The dictionaries list Charley as a given name — a unisex given name. Alternative form of Charlie — but don't trace where it came from. The record below is what the SSA data shows.

  • 2 syllables
  • Vowel-ended
Along the way
  1. 1880
    First SSA year, and the peak
    #58 among boys with 305 babies — the first year on record, and still its best.
  2. 1893
    Charley Chase born
    actor, comedian, director, writer
  3. 1899
    The fade
    The first year with half the peak's births — down to #132.
  4. 1934
    Charley Pride born
    American country musician
  5. 1987
    Mostly girls from here
    Until now more boys than girls got the name; from this year it's the other way round, and has stayed that way.
In the dictionary
  • A unisex given name. Alternative form of Charlie.
  • A diminutive of the male given name Charles.
  • A diminutive of the female given names Charlotte and Charlene.
Namesakes
  • Charley Pride · American country musician, 1934–2020
  • Charley Chase · actor, comedian, director, writer, 1893–1940
  • Charley Toorop · Dutch painter, 1891–1955
  • Charley Grapewin · American actor, 1869–1956
  • Charley Boorman · British actor and adventurer, born 1966

Sources: the origin note and dictionary entry are quoted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0); the namesakes come from Wikidata (CC0); the milestones are worked out from the SSA record.