Charles, the French and English form of Carolus, comes from the Germanic name Karl and is derived from the Germanic word for "man" or "free man." It was popularized by Charles the Great, also known as Charlemagne, who ruled over the Franks and much of Europe from 768 to 814. Charles was a top-10 boy's name in the United States every year between 1900 and 1954. Though not as popuar today, it was still given to more than 5,000 baby boys in 2023 and has never fallen outside of the Social Security Administration's top 70. "Today" anchor Savannah Guthrie has a son named Charles, but others decide to go the unisex route with Charlie, Charley, Charlee and Charli.
