CharlesName meaning, origin and popularity
Charles is a boy’s name of German origin. Its traditional meaning is “free man”.
Charles at a glance
- Meaning
- free man
- Origin
- German
- Gender
- Boy
- Letters
- 7
- First letter
- C
- NSW rank 2025
- #94 for boys
How popular is Charles in Australia?
In 2025, Charles was number 94 in the NSW top 100 for boys, with 92 babies registered. It was not in the top 100 in 2024. Its highest rank for boys was number 57 in 1952, and it has been in the top 100 in 55 of the 74 years since 1952.
| Year | 1975 | 1985 | 1995 | 2005 | 2015 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank (boys) | – | – | – | #89 | #72 | – | #94 |
“–” means the name was outside the top 100 that year. Source: NSW Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages, Popular Baby Names 1952 to 2025 (Data.NSW, data as at 26 March 2026). The list covers the top 100 names for each sex per year in NSW only. See popular baby names for the full 2025 top 20.
Names similar to Charles
Other German names for boys (including unisex names):
- CharlieGerman
- ConradGerman
- DerekGerman
- EmmettGerman
- ErnestGerman
- EverettGerman
- FrederickGerman
- FritzGerman
- GeraldGerman
- GilbertGerman
- GuntherGerman
- HenryGerman
More names starting with C:
Find more boy names starting with C in the baby name generator