Girl · #4 in 2026

Charlotte

Charlotte is a feminine given name. It is a female form of the male name Charles. It is of French or Italian origin, meaning "free man" or "petite". It dates back to at least the 14th century.

  • French
  • English
  • German
  • Swedish
Current Rank
#4
Peak Rank
#3 (2021)
Total Babies
465K
5-Yr Trend
-4%
1880
First Year
2026
Last Year
2021
Peak Year
#3
Peak Rank
465K
Total Count
147
Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Charlotte

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

Charlotte is a feminine given name. It is a female form of the male name Charles. It is of French or Italian origin, meaning "free man" or "petite". It dates back to at least the 14th century.

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

Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)

  • French
  • English
  • German
  • Swedish
  • Norwegian
  • Danish
  • Dutch

The Story of Charlotte

Charlotte first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1880, with 237 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 2021, when 13,362 Charlottes were born — ranking #3 that year. As of 2026, Charlotte ranks #4 for baby girls with 12,401 births, holding steady (-4%). In total, more than 465K Charlottes have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

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 Charlotte

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

Where is Charlotte most common?

Predicted country distribution based on naming patterns globally.

  • CM
    42%
  • GH
    20%
  • France
    14%
  • China
    12%
  • South Africa
    12%

Source: Nationalize.io . Probabilities are global naming-pattern estimates, not strict counts.

Names that sound like Charlotte

Phonetically similar names — useful when Charlotte 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 Charlotte

What does the name Charlotte mean?
Charlotte is a feminine given name. It is a female form of the male name Charles. It is of French or Italian origin, meaning "free man" or "petite". It dates back to at least the 14th century.
What is the origin of the name Charlotte?
Charlotte has roots in the following cultural and linguistic traditions: French, English, German, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Dutch.
How popular is Charlotte in 2026?
In 2026, Charlotte ranks #4 among girls' names in the U.S., with 12,401 babies given the name that year.
When was Charlotte most popular?
Charlotte reached its peak popularity in 2021, ranking #3 that year with 13,362 babies given the name.
In which U.S. states is Charlotte most popular?
Charlotte has historically been most popular in Alaska, Alabama, Colorado. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Charlotte.
Is Charlotte a unisex name?
In U.S. Social Security records, Charlotte is primarily a girl's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a boy's name.
What names go well with Charlotte?
Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Charlotte include Elizabeth, Margaret, Sarah. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.
What are nicknames or variants of Charlotte?
Common variants and related forms of Charlotte include Carla, Carlene, Carlijn, Carlyn, Carola, Carole. These cover foreign-language equivalents, alternate spellings, and short forms.

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About the name Charlotte

Charlotte is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 465K births in the dataset. Charlotte's peak popularity came in 2021 when it ranked #3. Use the chart and map above to compare Charlotte's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.

Continue exploring

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.