How Many People Are Named Charles?
An estimated 1,296,413 people in the United States have the first name Charles, ranking it #15 among all first names. It is predominantly male (99.5%). The average bearer is 57 years old, and Charles peaked in popularity in 1947 with 40,917 births that year. It has a similar number of bearers to Anthony (1,238,180).
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Charles as a first name in the United States, including gender data, a year-by-year popularity timeline going back to 1880, a decade breakdown, and state-by-state birth registrations. You can also check how many people share the full name Charles paired with any surname.
Key Insights
- While Charles is overwhelmingly male, 12,466 female births have been registered with this name since 1880.
Estimated Living Americans
1,296,413
About 1 in 264 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Very Common
Predicted Gender
Male
99.5% confidence
Average Age
57
years old
Peak Year
1947
40,917 births
Total Registered
2,441,151
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Charles
Charles is almost exclusively a male name. Out of 2,441,151 total births registered, 99.5% were male.
Charles as a male name
Ranked #51 in 2024
5,593 male births in 2024
Peak: 1947 (40,779 births)
Charles as a female name
Ranked #11,287 in 2024
8 female births in 2024
Peak: 1927 (303 births)
Charles: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Charles span from the 1880s to the 2020s, covering 15 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 1940s, when 363,226 babies were registered. Charles has declined significantly from its peak in the 1940s. Recent registrations are a fraction of what they were at the name's height.
Charles by Decade
How has Charles tracked across different eras? The table below groups all SSA birth registrations into 10-year periods, with separate male and female counts. The colored bar shows each decade's share relative to the peak.
| Decade | Total | Male | Female | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 46,879 | 46,656 | 223 | |
| 1890s | 37,084 | 36,848 | 236 | |
| 1900s | 36,428 | 36,184 | 244 | |
| 1910s | 174,418 | 173,534 | 884 | |
| 1920s | 300,191 | 298,031 | 2,160 | |
| 1930s | 304,989 | 303,215 | 1,774 | |
| 1940s | 363,226 | 361,760 | 1,466 | |
| 1950s | 362,603 | 361,178 | 1,425 | |
| 1960s | 250,677 | 249,388 | 1,289 | |
| 1970s | 164,236 | 163,030 | 1,206 | |
| 1980s | 132,904 | 131,905 | 999 | |
| 1990s | 92,666 | 92,433 | 233 | |
| 2000s | 75,492 | 75,331 | 161 | |
| 2010s | 70,126 | 70,004 | 122 | |
| 2020s | 29,232 | 29,188 | 44 | |
Charles by State
Birth registrations for Charles span all 51 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in New York, Pennsylvania, Texas. The lowest are in Alaska, Nevada, Wyoming. On average, about 45,422 Charless were registered per state.
Charles + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Charles as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Charles
Other first names starting with C with a similar number of bearers.
Charles: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Charles?
We estimate approximately 1,296,413 people named Charles are alive in the United States today. This is based on SSA birth records from 1880 to 2024, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables. About 1 in 264 Americans share this first name.
Is Charles a common name?
Charles is classified as "Very Common" and is more popular than 100% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 2,441,151 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Charles most popular?
Charles reached peak popularity in 1947, when 40,917 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Charles is approximately 57 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
Is Charles a male name?
Charles is predominantly male. 99.5% of people with this name are male. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
How many Charles Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Charles Smith, Charles Johnson, Charles Williams. You can also search any combination on our homepage.
Where does this data come from?
Our estimates use Social Security Administration birth records (1880 to 2024), adjusted for survival using CDC 2023 life tables broken down by sex. The U.S. population figure (342,754,338) is from the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimate. Full methodology.
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