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👧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

🌍

## 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 ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charly%5F%28name%29) (CC BY-SA 3.0). [Read more → ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charly%5F%28name%29)

### 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

👧 Girls 👦 Boys 

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. 

* [Caleigh](/caleigh)
* [Cali](/cali)
* [Calleigh](/calleigh)
* [Callie](/callie)
* [Cari](/cari)
* [Carl](/carl)
* [Carla](/carla)
* [Carlee](/carlee)
* [Carlene](/carlene)
* [Carley](/carley)
* [Carli](/carli)
* [Carlie](/carlie)
* [Carly](/carly)
* [Carlyn](/carlyn)
* [Carol](/carol)
* [Carolina](/carolina)
* [Caroline](/caroline)
* [Carolyn](/carolyn)
* [Carrie](/carrie)
* [Carrol](/carrol)
* [Carry](/carry)
* [Caryl](/caryl)
* [Charla](/charla)
* [Charlee](/charlee)
* [Charleen](/charleen)
* [Charleigh](/charleigh)
* [Charlene](/charlene)
* [Charles](/charles)
* [Charley](/charley)
* [Charli](/charli)
* [Charlie](/charlie)
* [Charlotte](/charlotte)
* [Chas](/chas)
* [Chaz](/chaz)
* [Chip](/chip)
* [Chuck](/chuck)
* [Chuckie](/chuckie)
* [Chucky](/chucky)
* [Ina](/ina)
* [Kali](/kali)
* [Kalie](/kalie)
* [Kallie](/kallie)
* [Karl](/karl)
* [Karla](/karla)
* [Karlee](/karlee)
* [Karlene](/karlene)
* [Karli](/karli)
* [Karlie](/karlie)
* [Karly](/karly)
* [Karol](/karol)
* [Karolyn](/karolyn)
* [Karrie](/karrie)
* [Lina](/lina)
* [Lottie](/lottie)
* [Sharla](/sharla)
* [Sharleen](/sharleen)
* [Sharlene](/sharlene)
* Tottie
* Totty

🎶

## 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. 

* [Charlie](/charlie)
* [Charley](/charley)
* [Charli](/charli)
* [Charlee](/charlee)
* Chorley
* [Charla](/charla)
* Cheerly
* Charlo
* [Charles](/charles)
* [Chari](/chari)
* [Charle](/charle)
* [Chary](/chary)

Source: [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/). 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.

## Similar Names

### 👧 Similar Girl Names 

[👧ChristenaPeak #1838](/christena)[👧AntonioPeak #1838](/antonio)[👧JulieannPeak #1838](/julieann)[👧ThaoPeak #1838](/thao)

### 👦 Similar Boy Names 

[👦EsauPeak #884](/esau)[👦RancePeak #884](/rance)[👦RedPeak #884](/red)[👦ArminPeak #884](/armin)

## 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.

### Continue exploring 

* [ Top names of 2014 → ](/year/2014)
* [ Names of the 2010s → ](/decade/2010s)
* [ Names starting with "C" → ](/letter/c)
* [ Browse all girl names → ](/names/girls)
* [ Top names of 2026 → ](/year/2026)
* [ Browse unisex names → ](/names/unisex)

Data sources

* Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. [Social Security Administration ](https://www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/). 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 ](https://www.behindthename.com/) (used under their public API terms).
* Meaning prose and editorial summary — [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/) article extracts, licensed under [CC BY-SA 3.0 ](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/).
* Predicted nationality distribution — [Nationalize.io ](https://nationalize.io/).
* Phonetically similar names — [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/).

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.