Charlese
A feminine derivative of Charles, meaning "free man" or "freeman".
Name Census estimates that about 453 living Americans carry the first name Charlese. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Charlese today is around 32 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Charlese births was 1990 (20 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Charlese. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
453
~ 1 in 756,632 Americans
Peak year
1990
20 babies that year
Average age
32
years old
2018 SSA rank
#16,188
Tracked since 1953
Census
Charlese in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 468 people with the first name Charlese, which placed it at #21,612 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#21,612
National first-name rank
People counted
468
468 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
65.0% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Charlese
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Charlese is Black at 65.0%. The next largest groups are White (21.6%) and Hispanic (6.2%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Charlese described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Charlese at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American65.0% · 304
- White21.6% · 101
- Hispanic or Latino6.2% · 29
- Two or more races5.3% · 25
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 8
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 1
Popularity
Charlese: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Charlese from the 1950s through to the 2010s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 161 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Charlese by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Charlese during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Charlese
The given name Charlese originates from the French language and is a feminine form of the name Charles. The name Charles derives from the Germanic name Karl, which means "free man" or "manly." The earliest recorded spelling of the name was Carolus in Latin, which later evolved into Charles in French and English.
The name Charlese gained popularity in the Middle Ages, particularly in France and other parts of Europe where French influence was strong. It was often used among the nobility and upper classes, as the name Charles was associated with royalty and power due to the fame of Charlemagne, the King of the Franks and the first Holy Roman Emperor.
One of the earliest notable individuals with the name Charlese was Charlese d'Albret, a French noblewoman who lived in the 15th century. She was the daughter of Alain d'Albret, a powerful feudal lord in southwestern France, and was known for her involvement in the political intrigues of the time.
In the 16th century, Charlese de Bourbon-Vendôme, a French princess from the House of Bourbon, was a prominent figure at the court of King Henry IV of France. She was known for her intelligence and played an influential role in the religious and political affairs of the time.
During the 17th century, Charlese de La Tour d'Auvergne, a French noblewoman and writer, gained recognition for her literary works, including her memoirs and correspondence with influential figures of the time.
In the 18th century, Charlese de Polignac, a French courtier and mistress of King Louis XV, was a prominent figure at the French court. She was known for her beauty, wit, and influence over the King, and played a significant role in the political and social affairs of the time.
In the 19th century, Charlese Désirée Clary, a French noblewoman and the wife of Joseph Bonaparte, brother of Napoleon Bonaparte, was a notable figure during the Napoleonic era. She was known for her intelligence, charm, and her support for her husband's political ambitions.
These are just a few examples of individuals throughout history who bore the name Charlese. The name has a rich history and has been associated with nobility, power, and cultural influence, particularly in France and other parts of Europe where the French language and culture have had a significant impact.
People
Charlese + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Charlese as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with C
Other first names starting with C with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Charlese: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Charlese?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 453 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Charlese going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 756,632 US residents.
Is Charlese a common name?
We classify Charlese as "Very Rare". It ranks above 83.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 479 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Charlese most popular?
The single biggest year for Charlese was 1990, when 20 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Charlese is about 32 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Charlese in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 468 people with the name Charlese, or 0.15 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #21,612 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Charlese in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Charlese?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Charlese leans strongly female. 441 people counted with this name were female (94.2%), compared with 27 male bearers (5.8%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Charlese?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Charlese is Black at 65.0%. The next largest groups are White (21.6%) and Hispanic (6.2%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Charlese most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Charlese in the 2020 Census, accounting for 65.0% (304 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Charlese in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Charlese a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Charlese in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Charlese still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Charlese in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Charlese can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people are named Charlese?
Want to know how many people share the name Charlese? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.