Unisex · #2,401 in 2026

Charly

Charly is an English unisex given name and nickname that is a diminutive form of Charles.

  • English
Current Rank
#2,401
Peak Rank
#1,838 (2014)
Total Babies
3K
5-Yr Trend
+4%
👧 Girl peak #1,838 (3K total)
👦 Boy peak #884 (1K total)
👧As Girl Name
1975
First Year
2026
Last Year
2014
Peak Year
#1838
Peak Rank
3K
Total Count
52
Years Active
👦As Boy Name
1884
First Year
2026
Last Year
2004
Peak Year
#884
Peak Rank
1K
Total Count
64
Years Active
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Meaning & Origin of Charly

What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.

Charly is an English unisex given name and nickname that is a diminutive form of Charles.

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)

  • English

The Story of Charly

As a girl name

Charly first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a girl name in 1975, with 7 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 2014: 109 births, good for #1,853 nationwide. About 31% of every Charly on record arrived during the 2010s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Charly ranks #2,401 for girls with 75 births, holding steady (+4%). All told, over 3K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1970s to the 2020s.

As a boy name

Charly first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a boy name in 1884, with 5 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 2004: 58 births, good for #2,051 nationwide. About 32% of every Charly on record arrived during the 2000s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Charly ranks #3,111 for boys with 39 births, rising sharply (+35% over the past five years). All told, over 1K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1880s to the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Girls Boys

Popularity by State

ME
WA
MT
ND
MN
WI
MI
NY
VT
NH
MA
OR
ID
SD
IA
IL
IN
OH
PA
NJ
CT
RI
CA
NV
WY
NE
MO
KY
WV
VA
MD
DE
DC
UT
CO
KS
AR
TN
NC
SC
AK
AZ
NM
OK
LA
MS
AL
GA
HI
TX
FL
Top 10
11-50
51-100
101-500
500+
No data

Variants & Related Forms of Charly

Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Charly. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Names that sound like Charly

Phonetically similar names — useful when Charly 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 Charly

What does the name Charly mean?
Charly is an English unisex given name and nickname that is a diminutive form of Charles.
What is the origin of the name Charly?
Charly has roots in the following cultural and linguistic traditions: English.
How popular is Charly in 2026?
In 2026, Charly ranks #2,401 among girls' names in the U.S., with 75 babies given the name that year.
When was Charly most popular?
Charly reached its peak popularity in 2014, ranking #1,838 that year with 109 babies given the name.
In which U.S. states is Charly most popular?
Charly has historically been most popular in Utah, Missouri, Texas. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Charly.
Is Charly a unisex name?
Yes — Charly is used for both girls and boys in U.S. records, with about 66% of Charlys assigned female and 34% assigned male historically.
What names go well with Charly?
Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Charly include Christena, Antonio, Julieann. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.
What are nicknames or variants of Charly?
Common variants and related forms of Charly include Caleigh, Cali, Calleigh, Callie, Cari, Carl. These cover foreign-language equivalents, alternate spellings, and short forms.
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About the name Charly

Charly is a unisex baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1975 and has accumulated 3K births in the dataset. Charly's peak popularity came in 2014 when it ranked #1,838. Use the chart and map above to compare Charly's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.

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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.

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