Charley
A pet form of Charles, Germanic karl, “free man”; now given to girls as often as boys.
Popularity, 1880–2025
Charley appears in the national records from the very first year, 1880. It has ranked among the top 100 names for American boys in every year from 1880 to 1894. Its biggest year was 1920, when 485 newborn boys received the name, ranking it No. 249 nationally. Its best ranking came in 1880, at No. 58. The name has also seen real use for girls: 11,347 of the 35,321 Americans given the name since 1880.
Related names
Other spellings on record: Charlie (224,639), Charlee (19,749), Charli (11,838), Charleigh (9,455), Charly (3,833) (total births since 1880)
Other names that share a story: Charles
Explore Charley interactively →By the decade
| Decade | Births | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 2,550 | No. 58 |
| 1890s | 1,755 | No. 82 |
| 1900s | 1,633 | No. 103 |
| 1910s | 3,530 | No. 167 |
| 1920s | 3,984 | No. 249 |
| 1930s | 2,423 | No. 323 |
| 1940s | 1,852 | No. 402 |
| 1950s | 1,414 | No. 506 |
| 1960s | 1,021 | No. 640 |
| 1970s | 727 | No. 832 |
| 1980s | 625 | No. 986 |
| 1990s | 440 | No. 1516 |
| 2000s | 631 | No. 1698 |
| 2010s | 865 | No. 1625 |
| 2020s | 524 | No. 1727 |
Births and rank shown for boys, 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.