Charlotte

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Girl · Germanic, through French

Charlotte

Say it: SHAR-lot

Try it with your surname

Meaning

French feminine diminutive of Charles, from Germanic karl 'man, free man'.

Certainscholars agree on this meaning.

Free

Spread through European courts in the 17th and 18th centuries and is again among the most popular girls' names.

Its wave through time

A revival, back after decades away

In the United States

051018801900192019401960198020002020Peak 2020per 1,000 babies of that sex
  • 388,932 babies given this name since 1880
  • At its height in 2020, about 1 in 123 girls
  • 13,009 babies in 2020

Through the ages

  1. The Renaissance1400 to 1600
  2. The Age of Revolutions1750 to 1837
  3. Victorian and Belle Époque1837 to 1914
  4. The Modern Age1880 to today

Used by

FrenchEnglishGermanDutchAmerican

The family of the name

Other spellings: Lottie

GermanCharlotte
ItalianCarlotta
SpanishCarlota
DutchCharlotte
SwedishCharlotta

Famous bearers

  • Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, queen of Great Britain
  • Charlotte Brontë, English novelist
  • Charlotte Corday

Names worth a look

Where this comes from

  • Royal and noble genealogies
  • National census records of the 19th and 20th centuries
  • United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source
  • National birth statistics of European countries source
  • Well-known works of literature
  • United States Social Security birth records, 1880 to today source

Meanings and histories are compiled from the study of names and their languages and checked by a second review.

Meanings and histories are drawn from the study of names and their languages, each with a confidence rating; popularity figures come from official birth records. Name histories are a living field: if you know of a correction, we would be glad to hear it.