Charlotte Name Meaning

A name already on the upswing of use worldwide before a certain princess arrived in 2015, Charlotte is an endearing name that continues to dazzle. Her posh sound has made her a perennial favorite, gracing the pages of history with her presence time and time again in royalty and beyond.

Charlotte is the quintessential little girl name, stirring up childhood nostalgia thanks to Charlotte’s Web but also thoughts of dainty tea parties and pearls. At the same time, she manages to remain dignified, aging well into adulthood.

First appearing in the U.S. Top Ten in 2014 at Number 10, Charlotte has slowly risen ever since, holding her own among the recent regulars like Sophia and Isabella. Down under, Charlotte has been hanging out as the Number 1 name for a few years, swapping spots briefly with Olivia before regaining her seat atop the throne. She has charted high in the UK since the 1980s as well.

Charlotte’s effortlessly chic feel will continue to garner favor with parents, as she’s a friendly, familiar form of elegance. Stylish without being pretentious, she’s a natural choice given the rise of names like Amelia and Audrey.

Charlotte has several nickname choices to counter her polished look from the unisex Charlie to the spunky Lottie. Alternate names with a similar style include Scarlett, Elodie, and Madeline.

Infographic of Charlotte name meaning, which is Charlotte is a feminine form of Charles, meaning free man.
Ask your friends & family about Charlotte…

Charlotte Name Popularity

How popular is the name Charlotte? Here’s everything we know.

Year Rank # Births % Births
1910 99 862 0.2448%
1911 96 934 0.2508%
1912 91 1,352 0.2681%
1913 87 1,592 0.2808%
1914 87 1,996 0.2864%
1915 81 2,751 0.3028%
1916 80 2,993 0.3098%
1917 76 3,214 0.3213%
1918 78 3,371 0.3141%
1919 79 3,350 0.3199%
1920 79 3,620 0.3256%
1921 78 3,586 0.3132%
1922 76 3,576 0.321%
1923 76 3,595 0.321%
1924 80 3,611 0.311%
1925 77 3,546 0.3137%
1926 78 3,510 0.3191%
1927 75 3,671 0.3316%
1928 73 3,465 0.3238%
1929 73 3,533 0.3411%
1930 75 3,400 0.3255%
1931 75 3,397 0.3442%
1932 74 3,361 0.3402%
1933 80 3,105 0.3333%
1934 72 3,433 0.3551%
1935 65 3,465 0.3566%
1936 60 3,554 0.3689%
1937 67 3,531 0.3583%
1938 70 3,618 0.3534%
1939 66 3,736 0.3673%
1940 55 4,286 0.4032%
1941 55 4,559 0.4051%
1942 51 5,017 0.3973%
1943 47 5,479 0.4197%
1944 50 4,926 0.3975%
1945 55 4,525 0.371%
1946 64 4,969 0.3368%
1947 68 5,383 0.3225%
1948 69 5,158 0.3231%
1949 71 5,143 0.3197%
1950 80 4,729 0.2937%
1951 84 4,644 0.2739%
1952 89 4,205 0.2409%
1953 101 3,804 0.2149%
1954 113 3,754 0.2054%
1955 129 3,319 0.1804%
1956 133 3,260 0.1726%
1957 133 3,248 0.1688%
1958 140 3,009 0.1592%
1959 145 2,956 0.1556%
1960 152 2,765 0.1459%
1961 147 2,921 0.1547%
1962 154 2,667 0.1453%
1963 153 2,587 0.1441%
1964 158 2,411 0.137%
1965 153 2,463 0.1506%
1966 153 2,272 0.1455%
1967 164 1,994 0.1314%
1968 162 1,990 0.1325%
1969 160 2,013 0.1307%
1970 167 1,972 0.1239%
1971 176 1,719 0.1144%
1972 187 1,510 0.1109%
1973 195 1,309 0.101%
1974 202 1,222 0.094%
1975 227 1,050 0.0817%
1976 245 934 0.0725%
1977 263 916 0.068%
1978 275 803 0.0597%
1979 287 825 0.0585%
1980 295 814 0.0557%
1981 292 799 0.0544%
1982 309 760 0.0509%
1983 282 800 0.0542%
1984 297 764 0.0514%
1985 267 910 0.06%
1986 289 822 0.0545%
1987 291 805 0.0528%
1988 286 839 0.0538%
1989 291 865 0.0536%
1990 288 933 0.0563%
1991 284 948 0.0582%
1992 289 924 0.0579%
1993 292 919 0.0589%
1994 291 909 0.0592%
1995 275 967 0.0642%
1996 301 915 0.0611%
1997 302 929 0.0628%
1998 301 975 0.0651%
1999 307 969 0.0647%
2000 291 1,074 0.0703%
2001 229 1,358 0.0901%
2002 204 1,580 0.1054%
2003 184 1,741 0.1144%
2004 170 1,977 0.1297%
2005 134 2,435 0.1593%
2006 125 2,765 0.1766%
2007 100 3,328 0.2109%
2008 86 3,665 0.2371%
2009 68 4,180 0.2797%
2010 46 5,354 0.3715%
2011 27 6,423 0.4508%
2012 19 7,476 0.5246%
2013 11 9,297 0.653%
2014 10 10,111 0.694%
2015 9 11,390 0.7828%
2016 7 13,080 0.9072%
2017 7 12,893 0.9238%
2018 6 12,940 0.9418%
2019 6 13,138 0.9705%
2020 5 12,740 1.0009%
2021 3 12,393 1.0138%
2022 3 12,891 0.9772%

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Data via SSA.gov.


Names Like Charlotte

If you like Charlotte, you’ll love these other names like Charlotte.


What names are diminutives of Charlotte?

A diminutive is a name that’s like Charlotte sounds, you might also like these names that sound like Charlotte, but shorter.

Name Meaning Origin Popularity Other Gender
Carla

Free man

German

Carlie

Free man

Latin

Carly

Free man

Latin

Char

Free man; charm

German

Chara

Free man

German

Charla

Free man

German

Charlie

Free man

English

Charlsie

Free man

German

Charly

Free man

German

Charo

Rosary

Latin

Chattie

Dear, beloved; free man

Latin

Karla

Free man

German

Karli

Free man

Slavic

Karlie

Free man

Slavic

Karly

Free man

Latin

Lola

The sorrows

Spanish

Lotta

Free man

German

Lotte

Free man

German

Lottey

Free man

German

Lotti

Free man

German

Lottie

A variant spelling of Lotty.

French

Lotty

Free man

German

Sharla

Free man; a fertile plain

Hebrew

Sheri

Free man; dear

German

Sherie

Free man; dear

German

Sherrie

Free man

German

Sherry

Dear

French

Tottie

Free man

German


What names are variants of Charlotte?

Mix it up with these names that are a variation of the name Charlotte.

Name Meaning Origin Popularity Other Gender
Carleen

Free man

Latin

Carletta

Free man

German

Carline

Free man

Latin

Carlota

Free man

Italian

Carlotta

The Italian equivalent of Charlotte, the feminine form of Charles, meaning “full-grown manhood.”

Italian

Carlyne

Free man

Latin

Charlaine

Free man

German

Charleen

Free man

German

Charlene

Free man

German

Charlesetta

Free man

German

Charlet

Free man

German

Charlett

Free man

German

Charletta

Free man

German

Charlette

Free man

German

Charline

Free man

German

Charlita

Free man

German

Charlize

Free man

German

Charlot

Feminine form of Charles

French

Charlott

Free man

German

Charlotta

Free man

German

Charlyne

Free man

German

Charmain

Free man; charm

German

Charmaine

Charm

French

Charmian

Delight

Greek

Charmion

Free man; charm

German

Charolett

Free man

German

Charolette

Free man

German

Charyl

Free man; cherry fruit; green gemstone

Greek

Cherlyn

Free man; cherry fruit; green gemstone

Greek

Cheryl

Cherry fruit; green gemstone

Greek

Cheryll

Free man; cherry fruit; green gemstone

Greek

Karleen

English

Karlene

Free man

Slavic

Karletta

Free man

German

Karline

Free man

Latin

Karlota

Free man

German

Karlotta

German

Karlotte

Free man

German

Karlyne
Loleta

Free man

German

Loletta

Free man

German

Lolita

A variant spelling of Loleta.

Spanish

Searlait

Free man

German

Sharel

Free man

German

Sharil

Free man; cherry fruit; green gemstone

Greek

Sharlaine

Free man

German

Sharleen

Free man

German

Sharlene

Free man

German

Sharlet

Free man

German

Sharlett

Free man

German

Sharlette

Free man

German

Sharline

Free man

German

Sharlott

Free man

German

Sharlotta

Free man

German

Sharlotte

Free man

German

Sharmain

Free man; charm

German

Sharmayne

Free man; charm

German

Sharmian

Free man; charm; delight

Greek

Sharmion

Free man; charm

German

Sharyl

Free man; cherry fruit; green gemstone

Greek

Sheryl

A variant form of Shirley.

German


What names sound like Charlotte?

If you like how Charlotte sounds, you might also like these names that sound like Charlotte.

Name Meaning Origin Popularity Other Gender
Colette

People of victory

French

Cosette

People of victory

Greek

Juliette

Youthful and downy

French

Lissette

God's promise; God is my oath

Hebrew

Lunette

Idol, image, shape; moon

Welsh

Scarlet

Shade of red

English

Scarlett

Shade of red

English


What names are similar to Charlotte?

Find a name that’s like Charlotte, but just a little bit different.

Name Meaning Origin Popularity Other Gender
Abigail

Father’s rejoice

Hebrew

Amelia

Work

German

Caroline

Free woman

French

Coralie

A variant form of Coral.

English

Emilia

To rival

Latin

Emma

Whole or universal

German

Lydia

From Lydia

Greek

Olivia

Olive tree

Latin

Sadie

Princess

Hebrew

Stella

Celestial star

Latin


Lists With Charlotte

Find inspiration in these baby girl name lists featuring the name Charlotte.


Siblings of Charlotte

Mamas with kids named Charlotte also have kids with these names.

Name Meaning Origin Popularity Other Gender
Mandell

Almond

German

Nathan

He gave

Hebrew

Violet

Violet flower

English

Alexander

Defender of man

Greek

Stephen

Crown

English

Eric

Everlasting ruler

Scandinavian

Addison

Son of Adam

English

Paityn

Form of Peyton

English

Sara

Princess

Hebrew

Jackson

Son of Jack

English

Richard

Brave ruler

German

Declan

Full of goodness

Irish

Madelynn

Woman from Magdala

Hebrew

66 Comments

  1. Classic and timeless, with lots of casual/cute nicknames (Charlie, Cici)

  2. We wanted a classic somewhat old fashioned name that could have several nicknames

  3. This is my sister’s name! Her full name is Charlotte Elizabeth! Unlike the others, we call her Charlize! Combination of her two names! It’s an adorable name. My grandmother calls her Charlotte Cake 🙂 she went by Lottie before my other sister,Violette. we love her name!!

  4. 3rd generation of Chars. Honoring my mother and myself.
    Charise
    Charnell
    Charlotte
    And it reflects her royalty. Named after Queens and Princesses.

  5. 3rd generation of Chars. Honoring my mother and myself.
    Charise
    Charnell
    Charlotte

  6. Charlotte was a beautiful and timeless name for us.

  7. I’ve always loved Charlotte church when I was younger and said I would name my child after her. I finally was able to have my first baby at 36!

  8. Our last name begins with an “S” & we were going for an alliteration.i like that Charlotte has so many nicknames, so far we call her Charlie, Lottie, Charlotte& Charberry! I just absolutely love the way her full name sounds.

  9. We love how classic this name is. It’s fits our free spirited firstborn well

  10. We wanted a strong, classic, feminine name.

  11. I’ve always loved very “girly” and “dainty” feminine names for girls. This is why I chose Charlotte and Emilie for my other daughter. In my opinion, they’re timeless and beautiful names. 🙂

  12. My daughters full name is Charlotte Shirley named after my grandparents on my mothers side. My grandfather was Charles and my grandmother was Shirley. We call our daughter Charlie as a nickname!

    Charlotte is a very common name right now though and one of our cousins also named their daughter Charlotte. We have been given a little bit of flack about it since our daughter was born after the other. But we loved the name and the meaning behind it so we don’t care much about what the family says!

  13. It is an elegant name. We call her Charlie for short. Her name fits her personality, its just her. Wonderful, beautiful and cheerful.

  14. I love the name Charlotte. It’s classic yet timeless! It’s such a feminine name to me and she suits it so well!

  15. I like the name charlotte because it was my dad great aunts name and it is from Charlottes web the movie

    • The book Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White is the original the movie was from the book. You should read the book. It’s an extremely famous classic book in Children’s Literature. It’s beautiful. It was my favourite book when I was ten years old and I had a Charlotte’s Web themed birthday party. This book will always have a place in my heart.

  16. I just love that the name is so classic and pretty!

  17. I like my name, it’s like wholesome 100 pogchamp type beat, I’d say it’s like an upvote in the metaverse, super cool and pog and it’s fitting for a queen girlboss like myself

  18. Always loved this name. It’s my mother’s name and it reminds of the following traits: regal, poised, and free.

  19. We felt that Charlotte is a classic, timeless name and had it on our list for my first kiddo, but he ended up being a boy. We still liked it for our second baby and she happened to be a girl so it was perfect. It’s also my husband’s grandmother’s name!

  20. My husband has always loved the name, Charlotte. It was a no brainer when we found out we were having a girl. I also like that it’s more of a classic name compared to the very creative names that are thought of in today’s world.

  21. I adored the name Charlotte for a long time and knew I would name my baby girl this before I was pregnant. It’s a little bit old fashioned which I love, and less trendy than others I’ve heard. Classic and sweet.

  22. We chose the name Charlotte because it’s a beautiful and traditional name. For a boy we had wanted to name him Charles for my husbands grandfather so Charlotte was the girl version! I love the name because it doesn’t need a nickname, but I don’t like the nickname Charlie for Charlotte.

  23. My little love is named after Charlotte Bront?. We wanted a name that sounded traditional and timeless, but had a fun nickname (we call her Charlie).

  24. She has a high palate and it makes it hard to nurse

  25. Named her for my father Charles and her middle name is Harper for the woman who helped raise me when I was little. Both are people I love and care about and wouldn’t be the same without them.

  26. I love “old fashioned” names and names you don’t hear much anymore.
    Plus, I love the nicknames that go with Charlotte, like “Charlie” or “Lottie

  27. We love classic, timeless names and Charlotte certainly fits the bill, but we loved that we could have a modern twist by nicknaming her Charlie as well. Also, Charlotte Bronte is one of my favorite writers 😉

  28. It’s beautiful & vintage, yet classic.

  29. I want to chose an unique and old name. I love her name and it just stuck.

  30. Thought Charlotte was a classic name that isn’t over used too much.

    • It’s not

  31. we chose Charlotte because its sound is beautiful in many languagues and it is a more old fashioned and sophisticated name

  32. It’s cute and out of all the names I was deciding on this one seemed the cutest and sweetest. I honestly like dark names though ?

  33. Charlotte means FREE and that name symbolizes a lot for 2020 for me.

  34. Named her after myself

  35. My husband and I had a hard time agreeing on any name, and when we came across Charlotte we both loved it. We like that her nick name is Charlie, and we feel Charlotte is a powerful name for when she grows up, but is also super sweet as a baby.

  36. I chose Charlotte because I like the nickname Charlie.

  37. We chose the name Charlotte because it was a little bit modern, a little bit old-fashioned, a little bit elegant. Nicknames that sound “right” are hard to come by, although we’re liking Charli. Some feedback is that it could be difficult for her to spell when she’s little. Overall, we’re happy with our pick!

    • Believe me, no matter what your child’s name is they are going to be proud of it and practice, practice, practice spelling it because its important to them! I remember a teacher telling me to just write CJ (maiden name James) but that bothered me because that wasn’t MY NAME and it took me no time at all to get it right because it really mattered to me….I love my name and I think it’s always fit me!

  38. We both liked the name Charlie before we found out the sex of the baby. When we found out the baby was a girl, we wanted a more feminine name that still had Charlie in it and so we decided on Charlotte.

  39. Charlotte means strong and independent, and my favourite educator is named Charlotte Mason.

  40. We had Charlotte in mind right from the start

  41. We named Charlotte after her father’s grandma. I liked it since I was a kid, anyway, because of Charlotte’s Web, and later, True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle, a chapter book about a pirate girl. It sounds classic and lovely to me. We didn’t give her a nickname straight away. We’ll see what sticks.

  42. My oldest daughter really wanted a little brother because she already has a little sister. When the ultrasound showed it was another girl, she was devastated. We included her in the naming process and when we discussed nicknames, she really likes Charlie. Hence, Charlotte was chosen, and we use Charlie for a nickname.

    I like Charlotte because it goes with the Victorian name theme I have for my daughters; Elizabeth, Alice, and Charlotte.

  43. I’ve always wanted a little girl named Charlotte, so I could call her Charlie. I wanted to name my oldest this in 2010 but her dad talked me out of it! It took nine years but I finally got my Charlie ?

  44. I’ve loved the name Charlotte for years. It’s such a beautiful, classic, feminine name! It’s adorable for a little girl and refined for a woman 🙂

  45. I love the name Charlotte because it sounds like royalty to me. It also happens to be the female version of Charles, which was my grandfather’s name. We were very close and I lost him too soon. Now, having Charlotte, I will always have my papa close to my heart.

  46. We chose this name because before my mom passed away last year I had promised her if I ever had a daughter we would name her after her mom, Carlota. We just chose the English version of the name.

  47. Charlotte is a name I’ve always loved–even before the princess was born!! My Great-grandmother and great-aunt on opposite sides of the family bore this name as well. I love that it’s cute for a little girl and sophisticated enough for her entire life. It goes perfectly with her middle name, Anne, after my grandmother. But, most importantly the name fits HER, and we couldn’t imagine little Charlotte as anyone else!

    • Omg my name is Charlotte too and my middle name is Anne after my grandma

  48. My husband loves the name Charley for a girl but I think it’s ok. So we decided on Charlotte. That way she can pick which one if she doesn’t like being Charley. I call her Charlotte.

  49. My husband and I decided on Charlie at first no matter the sex. When we found out we were having a girl, we wanted to make her name a little more feminine but still keep the name Charlie in there so we decided on Charlotte. Her middle name, Shawn, is after my cousin who passed away when he was 8 years old.

  50. I wanted a name that had a common spelling, was obviously a name for a little girl, and was a classic name.

  51. My husband lived in North Carolina before we met; my favorite biography is about a missionary named Lottie Moon (nickname for Charlotte). The name sounds perfect for a little southern girl and will also graciously grow with her as she ages. It was a natural pick for us both!

  52. Well, my husband had picked our daughters name. Charlotte is his first child, an he wanted to be able to choose something unique. Something that hasn’t been heard in a while. An so far, it suits her well. Plus as an addes bonus, she LOVES the movie Charlottes Web. She’s our baby girl whom our love grows more an more for each an every day.

  53. Charlotte was my grandmothers name who I was very close to.

  54. My husband, Charlottes dad, picked her name. Charlotte is his first child so i thought maybe he should be able to name her. She is our world. God giving her to us was such a huge blessing. Without her, honestly thered be a void. Shes such an amazing soul for only being 3 months old and wouldnt want it any other way. We love her soooo much!

  55. When I went into labor 10 weeks early with my twins, my husband and i were still discussing baby names. We quickly had to talk and decide on the two names of our early, yet healthy babies! Charlotte is not as common, which I liked. I’ve also known a couple of wonderful Charlotte’s in my life. My husband loved it too. Her twin brother is Hesston, the brand name of one of my dad’s tractors!

  56. I always loved the name Charlotte when I was young, but my maiden name was Webb, so I thought that would never work for a name of my offspring (Charlotte’s Webb — forgot that I would change my last name when I married, haha). When I got pregnant and we started discussing names…and I realized there was a different last name to deal with, Charlotte was a condender! We thought that it was a unique name…but she was born only a few months before Princess Charlotte! We love that it means “free” as we want her to know freedom from earthly/peer pressures through a strong relationship with Jesus. We have prayed that she would be free from anxiety, strife, insecurities, low self-esteem, etc…and, boy, is she a strong- willed one, haha!

  57. Charlotte is one of very few girl names that my husband and I agreed on. We like it because it is classic and feminine. Also it comes with some great nicknames: Lottie, Charlie, Char.

  58. We chose Charlotte because of the writer Charlotte Bronte who was a favorite of mine growing up and because of the classics sound to the name. Also Charlie is a cute nickname for a girl.

  59. We were team green so we did not find out if our baby was a girl or boy at birth. We had a handful of names picked out for if baby was a girl. Sure enough, she was born a girl. We decided the name Charlotte fit her best. At the time we did not know any other Charlottes. After she was born, the name exploded along with the royal family naming their daughter Charlotte.

  60. I really like old fashioned names. And I always loved that name since I was a very little girl. It pairs well with almost any name and is very easy to call her out with that name. We named our little one Charlotte Adele.

  61. We chose this name because my husband and I studied abroad in Berlin and there’s a neighborhood called Charlottenburg. We loved the name and that people called it Lottiburg. We mainly call her Charlotte but also use the nicknames Charlie and Lottie.

  62. We picked this name because it was one of out favorite places to travel. We were in Charlotte one month before I got pregnant with her.


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