Charlene
A modern feminine of Charles, Germanic karl, “free man.”
Popularity, 1880–2025
Charlene first shows up in the national records in 1888. It has ranked among the top 100 names for American girls in 1 different years between 1949 and 1949. Its biggest year was 1952, when 3,546 newborn girls received the name, ranking it No. 106 nationally. Its best ranking came in 1949, at No. 100. All told, 134,111 Americans have been given the name since 1880.
Related names
Other spellings on record: Charleen (7,384), Charline (6,241), Charlyn (1,829), Charlyne (1,132), Charlynn (791) (total births since 1880)
Other names that share a story: Charles, Arlene
Explore Charlene interactively →By the decade
| Decade | Births | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 5 | No. 1276 |
| 1890s | 40 | No. 1009 |
| 1900s | 139 | No. 723 |
| 1910s | 1,282 | No. 417 |
| 1920s | 5,570 | No. 200 |
| 1930s | 13,471 | No. 139 |
| 1940s | 26,782 | No. 100 |
| 1950s | 32,718 | No. 103 |
| 1960s | 24,624 | No. 142 |
| 1970s | 12,547 | No. 167 |
| 1980s | 8,938 | No. 238 |
| 1990s | 3,864 | No. 395 |
| 2000s | 1,741 | No. 1081 |
| 2010s | 1,348 | No. 1427 |
| 2020s | 660 | No. 1704 |
Births and rank shown for girls, the sex more often given the name. The Social Security Administration omits name–year combinations with fewer than five births.
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Data: U.S. Social Security Administration national baby-name file, 1880–2025.