Charleston
Charleston is a given name and a surname.
Meaning & Origin of Charleston
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Charleston is a given name and a surname.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
The Story of Charleston
As a girl name
Charleston first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a girl name in 1997, with 7 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 2015, when 255 Charlestons were born — ranking #1,042 that year. As of 2026, Charleston ranks #3,685 for girls with 41 births, falling sharply (-42%). In total, more than 1K Charlestons have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1990s through the 2020s.
As a boy name
Charleston first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a boy name in 1914, with 5 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 2015, when 88 Charlestons were born — ranking #1,739 that year. As of 2026, Charleston ranks #3,367 for boys with 35 births, falling sharply (-36%). In total, more than 3K Charlestons have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1910s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Names that sound like Charleston
Phonetically similar names — useful when Charleston is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Charleston
What does the name Charleston mean?
How popular is Charleston in 2026?
When was Charleston most popular?
In which U.S. states is Charleston most popular?
Is Charleston a unisex name?
What names go well with Charleston?
About the name Charleston
Charleston is a unisex baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1914 and has accumulated 3K births in the dataset. Charleston's peak popularity came in 2015 when it ranked #1,581. Use the chart and map above to compare Charleston's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 2015 →
- Names of the 2010s →
- Names starting with "C" →
- Browse all boy names →
- Top names of 2026 →
- Browse unisex names →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.