Baby Names US
Unisex name ★ peaked 2015

Charleston

Meaning Charleston is a given name and a surname Gender Unisex · 34% girls Rank 2025 #3,003 Trend ↓ Falling 35%

Charleston is a given name and a surname.

Rank 2025
#3,003
among boys · ↓204 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
89
named Charleston · -3% vs 2024
How common
1 in 41,660
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2015
343 babies
All-time total
3,813
#2,863 all-time among boys
First recorded
1914
in Social Security records

Charleston popularity over time

3,813 babies have been named Charleston since 1914, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.050.10.150.218801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
BoysGirls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – – – – – –
1890s – – – – – –
1900s – – – – – –
1910s – 22 22 2 – #3,337
1920s – 64 64 6 +191% #2,500
1930s – 23 23 2 -64% #3,228
1940s – 32 32 3 +39% #2,826
1950s – 99 99 10 +209% #1,982
1960s – 125 125 13 +26% #1,912
1970s – 202 202 20 +62% #1,756
1980s – 336 336 34 +66% #1,583
1990s 22 374 396 40 +18% #1,733
2000s 126 350 476 48 +20% #2,409
2010s 821 609 1,430 143 +200% #1,745
2020s (to 2025) 336 272 608 101 -29% #2,327

Where Charleston is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 39 0.02 outside top 500
2027 37 0.02 outside top 500
2028 35 0.02 outside top 500
2029 34 0.02 outside top 500
2030 33 0.02 outside top 500

Where Charleston is most popular

Boys named Charleston per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.025 per 1,000.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Charleston born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Georgia 10 0.039 +59%
Texas 13 0.015 -40%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Arizona – – –
California – – –
Colorado – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Florida – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Illinois – – –
Indiana – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Louisiana – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
Michigan – – –
Minnesota – – –
Missouri – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Carolina – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Jersey – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
New York – – –
Ohio – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Oregon – – –
Pennsylvania – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Tennessee – – –
Utah – – –
Virginia – – –
Vermont – – –
Washington – – –
Wisconsin – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Charleston

Charleston is rare for boys in the United States, ranked #3,003 in 2025 with 41 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1914, 3,813 American babies have been named Charleston, about 66% boys and 34% girls, making it a genuinely unisex name. Its peak came in 2015, when 343 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2010s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Charleston stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Charleston?

The median living Charleston is about 12 years old; half are between 7 and 30. An estimated 3,600 people named Charleston are alive in the United States today.

median 12 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Charleston year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 48 #3,261 41 #3,003
2024 46 #3,411 46 #2,799
2023 46 #3,436 29 #3,811
2022 64 #2,702 44 #2,880
2021 68 #2,563 54 #2,468
2020 64 #2,636 58 #2,327
2019 88 #2,133 70 #2,063
2018 94 #2,064 58 #2,305
2017 99 #1,993 58 #2,279
2016 156 #1,473 65 #2,137
2015 255 #1,042 88 #1,745
2014 41 #3,734 71 #2,004
2013 23 #5,687 51 #2,429
2012 26 #5,287 50 #2,499
2011 20 #6,389 51 #2,443
2010 19 #6,708 47 #2,591
2009 19 #6,869 53 #2,409
2008 11 #10,232 27 #3,843
2007 23 #5,941 38 #3,033
2006 19 #6,641 42 #2,749
2005 8 #12,054 34 #3,027
2004 11 #9,387 32 #3,092
2003 9 #10,607 35 #2,795
2002 10 #9,640 22 #3,806
2001 11 #8,888 37 #2,570
2000 5 #15,501 30 #2,927
1995 – – 31 #2,455
1990 – – 46 #1,733
1985 – – 33 #1,801
1980 – – 23 #2,227
1975 – – 20 #2,215
1970 – – 12 #2,755
1965 – – 13 #2,283
1960 – – 11 #2,559
1955 – – 16 #1,982
1950 – – 8 #2,804
1945 – – – –
1940 – – 7 #2,914
1935 – – 6 #3,320
1930 – – – –
1925 – – 8 #3,190
1920 – – 9 #3,000
1915 – – – –
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Charleston, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Charleston?

The median living Charleston is about 12 years old. Half of all living Charlestons are between 7 and 30 years old.

How many people named Charleston are alive today?

An estimated 3,600 people named Charleston are alive in the United States, based on 3,813 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Charleston mean?

Charleston is a given name and a surname.

How popular is the name Charleston in 2025?

Charleston ranked #3,003 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 41 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Charleston?

3,813 babies have been named Charleston in the United States since 1914, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Charleston most popular?

Charleston peaked in 2015, when 343 newborns received the name.

Is Charleston a boy or girl name?

Charleston is used for both: about 34% of babies named Charleston have been girls and 66% boys.

Is the name Charleston rising or falling?

Charleston is declining, less popular now than a decade ago.

Will Charleston become more popular?

Charleston is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 33 boys named Charleston in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Names like Charleston

Names that sound and feel close to Charleston: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Charleston with similar names → More names starting with C →