Unisex name ★ peaked 2014

Charley

Meaning A unisex given name Gender Unisex · 32% girls Rank 2025 #1,827 Trend → Stable

A unisex given name. Alternative form of Charlie.

Rank 2025
#1,827
among boys · ↑8 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
443
named Charley · -7% vs 2024
How common
1 in 19,633
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2014
719 babies
All-time total
35,321
#761 all-time among boys
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Charley popularity over time

35,321 babies have been named Charley since 1880, 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
0.751.52.25318801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
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 – 2,550 2,550 255 – #59
1890s – 1,755 1,755 176 -31% #82
1900s 12 1,633 1,645 165 -6% #103
1910s 79 3,530 3,609 361 +119% #167
1920s 153 3,984 4,137 414 +15% #249
1930s 131 2,423 2,554 255 -38% #323
1940s 102 1,852 1,954 195 -23% #402
1950s 52 1,414 1,466 147 -25% #506
1960s 11 1,021 1,032 103 -30% #641
1970s 75 727 802 80 -22% #833
1980s 388 625 1,013 101 +26% #987
1990s 655 440 1,095 110 +8% #1,519
2000s 1,728 631 2,359 236 +115% #1,703
2010s 5,369 865 6,234 623 +164% #1,626
2020s (to 2025) 2,592 524 3,116 519 -17% #1,729

Where Charley 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 87 0.05 outside top 500
2027 87 0.05 outside top 500
2028 88 0.05 outside top 500
2029 88 0.05 outside top 500
2030 88 0.05 outside top 500

Where Charley is most popular

Boys named Charley per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.051 per 1,000. Strongest in Oklahoma, Missouri, and Mississippi.

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 Charley 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
Oklahoma 11 0.124 +144%
Missouri 16 0.115 +126%
Mississippi 6 0.106 +107%
Wisconsin 6 0.051 ≈ national
Louisiana 5 0.049 ≈ national
Texas 40 0.045 -11%
Ohio 11 0.042 -19%
Florida 17 0.036 -30%
California 25 0.027 -46%
Georgia 6 0.024 -54%
North Carolina 5 0.020 -62%
New York 5 0.012 -77%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Arizona – – –
Colorado – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Illinois – – –
Indiana – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
Michigan – – –
Minnesota – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Jersey – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Oregon – – –
Pennsylvania – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Tennessee – – –
Utah – – –
Virginia – – –
Vermont – – –
Washington – – –
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 Charley

Charley is rare for boys in the United States, ranked #1,827 in 2025 with 87 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 35,321 American babies have been named Charley, about 68% boys and 32% girls, making it a genuinely unisex name. Its peak came in 2014, when 719 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 Charley stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Charley?

The median living Charley is about 15 years old; half are between 8 and 42. An estimated 18 thousand people named Charley are alive in the United States today.

median 15 020406080100

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

Charley 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 356 #760 87 #1,827
2024 386 #730 88 #1,835
2023 388 #725 96 #1,729
2022 421 #700 86 #1,855
2021 480 #618 84 #1,842
2020 561 #537 83 #1,801
2019 552 #551 86 #1,791
2018 553 #563 100 #1,626
2017 611 #514 96 #1,649
2016 560 #558 79 #1,878
2015 604 #520 85 #1,781
2014 641 #489 78 #1,875
2013 578 #515 89 #1,675
2012 484 #597 75 #1,911
2011 462 #626 85 #1,732
2010 324 #828 92 #1,678
2009 279 #959 92 #1,703
2008 263 #1,006 77 #1,878
2007 239 #1,089 80 #1,815
2006 226 #1,108 66 #2,015
2005 192 #1,192 69 #1,856
2004 168 #1,274 74 #1,720
2003 122 #1,582 47 #2,281
2002 93 #1,901 45 #2,299
2001 73 #2,217 37 #2,571
2000 73 #2,177 44 #2,226
1995 60 #2,221 48 #1,807
1990 56 #2,261 56 #1,519
1985 46 #2,230 50 #1,372
1980 15 #4,761 78 #1,024
1975 9 #6,043 65 #1,020
1970 – – 94 #833
1965 – – 93 #766
1960 – – 134 #677
1955 7 #4,808 140 #629
1950 9 #3,707 175 #506
1945 8 #3,432 156 #480
1940 13 #2,320 201 #404
1935 19 #1,793 240 #355
1930 11 #2,713 289 #323
1925 22 #1,854 350 #303
1920 18 #2,087 485 #249
1915 12 #2,415 414 #239
1910 8 #1,797 181 #167
1905 – – 168 #130
1900 – – 224 #103
1895 – – 178 #105
1890 – – 183 #93
1885 – – 285 #65
1880 – – 305 #59

Famous people named Charley

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Charley Pride Charley Pride American country musician (1934–2020) Contemporary
  2. 2 Charley Boorman Charley Boorman English television presenter, writer and actor b. 1966 · Contemporary
  3. 3 Charley Patton Charley Patton American Delta blues musician (1891–1934) 19th century
  4. 4 Charley Grapewin Charley Grapewin American circus performer and actor (1869-1956) 19th century
  5. 5 Charley Chase Charley Chase American actor, comedian, director, writer (1893–1940) 19th century
  6. 6 Charley Paddock Charley Paddock American athlete and journalist (1900–1943) Contemporary
  7. 7 Charley Toorop Charley Toorop Dutch painter and lithographer (1891–1955) 19th century
  8. 8 Charley Borah Charley Borah American athlete 1906–1980 · Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Charley?

The median living Charley is about 15 years old. Half of all living Charleys are between 8 and 42 years old.

How many people named Charley are alive today?

An estimated 18 thousand people named Charley are alive in the United States, based on 35,321 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Charley mean?

A unisex given name. Alternative form of Charlie.

How popular is the name Charley in 2025?

Charley ranked #1,827 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 87 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Charley?

35,321 babies have been named Charley in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Charley most popular?

Charley peaked in 2014, when 719 newborns received the name.

Is Charley a boy or girl name?

Charley is used for both: about 32% of babies named Charley have been girls and 68% boys.

Is the name Charley rising or falling?

Charley is on the rise, noticeably more popular now than a decade ago.

Will Charley become more popular?

Charley looks stable. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 88 boys named Charley in 2030, ranking outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Charley?

Well-known people named Charley include Charley Pride (singer), Charley Boorman (writer), Charley Patton (musician).

Names like Charley

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

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