Charles
Meaning of Charles
Charles is a name that carries the quiet majesty of an old Latin chronicle—born of the Germanic “Karl,” meaning “free man,” later cloaked in the Roman mantle of “Carolus,” and finally set upon English tongues as the confident, dignified CHARLZ. Down the centuries it has marched beside emperors and explorers—most famously Charlemagne, Carolus Magnus, whose vast realm stitched together the tapestry of medieval Europe—then drifted through palaces where French and English kings signed decrees beneath its banner, and sailed on to the New World where presidents, poets, and scientists—Dickens with his lantern of stories, Darwin with his brave questions, Lindbergh with his lonely sky—kept its syllable bright. In Spanish plazas it echoes as Carlos; in Italian courtyards it glides as Carlo; yet everywhere it carries the same promise of noble freedom. Generation after generation of American parents have trusted this timeless companion—its yearly counts swelling like steady tides, from the towering mid-century peaks to its present, graceful perch around the 50th mark—because Charles feels both rooted and refreshed, a warm oak whose branches invite every child to carve a future of his own.
Pronunciation
British English
- Pronunced as CHARLZ (/tʃɑːlz/)
American English
- Pronunced as CHARLZ (/tʃɑrlz/)
U.S. Popularity Chart
States Popularity Chart
Notable People Named Charles
| Charles Lindbergh was an American aviator who in 1927 made the first solo nonstop flight from New York to Paris in the Spirit of St. Louis, earning worldwide fame and advancing modern air travel. |
| Charles de Gaulle was a French general and statesman who led the Free French in World War II, restored democracy as head of the provisional government from 1944 to 1946, returned in 1958 to draft a new constitution and found the Fifth Republic, and served as president until his 1969 resignation. |
| Charles Dickens was an English novelist and social critic whose beloved Victorian stories and characters made him a literary giant still read today. |
| Charles Darwin was an English naturalist who proposed that species evolve from common ancestors through natural selection, reshaping biology and becoming one of the most influential figures in history. |
| Charles Barkley is an American former NBA star and TNT and CBS analyst who played 16 seasons, was an 11-time All-Star and 1993 MVP, and made the NBA 50th and 75th anniversary teams. |
| Charles Babbage was an English polymath, mathematician, philosopher, inventor, and mechanical engineer who originated the concept of a programmable computer. |
| Charles Aznavour was a French singer of Armenian descent whose distinctive tenor and 70 plus years crafting over a thousand multilingual songs made him a 20th century pop icon and one of its greatest songwriters. |
| Henry Charles Bukowski was a German American poet, novelist, and short story writer whose Los Angeles influenced work explored the lives of the poor, alcohol, relationships, the drudgery of work, and writing itself. |
| Charles Pierre Baudelaire was a French poet, essayist, translator, and art critic famed for his mastery of rhythm and rhyme, blending Romantic exoticism with keen observations of real life. |
| Sir Charles Lyell was a Scottish geologist whose Principles of Geology advanced uniformitarianism and deep time and strongly influenced Charles Darwin. |
| Charles Kingsford Smith - Sir Charles Edward Kingsford Smith, known as Smithy, was an Australian aviation pioneer who made the first transpacific and Australia to New Zealand flights. |
| Charles Ives was an American modernist composer, actuary, and businessman whose once overlooked experimental music later earned acclaim as a defining American voice in 20th century art music. |
| Charles Mingus was an American jazz bassist, composer, and bandleader, widely regarded as one of the greatest for championing collective improvisation over a three decade career that spanned bebop to post bop and featured collaborations with Duke Ellington and Charlie Parker. |
| Charles William Ferdinand, Duke of Brunswick - Charles William Ferdinand, a military leader and the ruling prince of Brunswick-Wolfenbuttel and hereditary duke of Brunswick-Luneburg, is commonly known in English as the Duke of Brunswick. |
