Charmian
Charmian is a feminine given name, an English spelling of the Late Greek name Kharmion, which is a diminutive form of the word kharma, meaning delight. The name was used for an attendant to Cleopatra in the 1607 tragedy Antony and Cleopatra by William Shakespeare. Shakespeare borrowed the name from a translation of Plutarch's Parallel Lives by Thomas North.
Meaning & Origin of Charmian
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Charmian is a feminine given name, an English spelling of the Late Greek name Kharmion, which is a diminutive form of the word kharma, meaning delight. The name was used for an attendant to Cleopatra in the 1607 tragedy Antony and Cleopatra by William Shakespeare. Shakespeare borrowed the name from a translation of Plutarch's Parallel Lives by Thomas North.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
The Story of Charmian
Charmian first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1914, with 6 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1970, when 18 Charmians were born — ranking #3,434 that year. As of 2026, Charmian ranks #7,749 for baby girls with 8 births, with steady use. In total, more than 473 Charmians 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 Charmian
Phonetically similar names — useful when Charmian 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 Charmian
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About the name Charmian
Charmian is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1914 and has accumulated 473 births in the dataset. Charmian's peak popularity came in 1970 when it ranked #3,434. Use the chart and map above to compare Charmian's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1970 →
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- Top names of 2026 →
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.