Charley
How to say it: CHAR-lee · /ˈtʃɑrli/
Variant of Charlie; short form of Charles/Charlotte from Germanic 'karl' meaning 'free man'. Used for both sexes.
Charley was the 74th most popular girls’ name in the United States in 2025, given to 443 babies of either sex (Social Security Administration). Its busiest decade was the 1880s, its births are up about 13% in ten years, and it is projected to slip to #84 by 2030.
Updated · SSA 2025 data, published May 2026 · Insee 2025 data, published July 2026 · How we compute these figures
Key facts
| Rank among girls’ names, 2025 | #74 |
|---|---|
| Babies born in 2025 (both sexes) | 443 |
| Share of births | 1 in 510 |
| Peak decade | 1880s |
| Change over 10 years | +13% |
| Projected rank for 2030 (estimate) | #84 |
| In France, 2025 | #22 among girls’ names, 0 births |
Sources: Social Security Administration (SSA), Insee (France). How we compute these figures.
Its life, decade by decade
Charley peaked in the 1880s and is less common today.
What goes with it
Nicknames
- Char
Honouring a Charley in the family
In the classroom
In a class of 25 children born in 2025, the chance that another child is called Charley is about 1 in 22.
Around the world
This spelling is used in English, French, German.
In France: #22 for girls in 2025.
Famous people named Charley
- Charley Pride (1934–2020)American country musician
- Charley Chase (1893–1940)Actor, comedian, director, writer
- Charley Toorop (1891–1955)Dutch painter
From Wikidata and Wikipedia
Good to know
- Hurricane Charley (2004) was retired from Atlantic naming lists.
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