Given name & surname
Charlotte
“free man”
Charlotte is a feminine member of the Charles family, with both royal and literary associations in its English history.
Meaning & origin
What it means
The older Germanic root shared with Charles means “free man.” Charlotte keeps that historical connection in a feminine form.
Where it comes from
Charlotte belongs to English and French naming traditions and was formed as a feminine diminutive of Charles.
How it developed
Charlotte was formed from Charles using a feminine diminutive ending. Its connection to the Charles family also links it to the older Germanic root behind that name.
The story
Charlotte was used in England by the seventeenth century. Queen Charlotte, the wife of George III, and the novelist Charlotte Brontë helped strengthen its presence in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.
Charlotte through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 454,204
- 771 boys · 453,433 girls
- Most popular year
- 2025
- 13,408 babies
- 2025
- 13,408
- #2 for girls · #9,067 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −1%
- Steady
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 13,400 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 2 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 0.8% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. It also appeared in 8 birth records for boys in 2025. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (1,140). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 254,532 as a first name in 2020; 222 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Charlotte’s family of names
In French usage, Charlotte is a diminutive of Charles. Charlotte shares a linguistic root with Carlotta. Charlotte has a related form in Charla.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Charlotte has relatives in 29 languages.
38 related names in 29 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 21
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
- Charlesfull form · French, English
- Charliepet form · English, French
- Lottiediminutive · English
- Charleydiminutive · English
- Charlydiminutive · English
- Chazdiminutive · English
- Lottediminutive · Norwegian, German
- Lieselottediminutive · German
Show 13 moreShow fewer
- Chadiminutive · English
- Charlotdiminutive · French
- Charlottshort form · Swedish
- Charlottavariant · English, Swedish
- Karlottavariant · German, Icelandic
- Charlavariant
- Charlotttelikely variant
- Charllottelikely variant
- Tottiepet form · English
- Lotlotdiminutive · Tagalog
- Chazzadiminutive · English
- Lottendiminutive · Swedish
- Tottypet form
Across languages 26
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
- KarolinaPolish
- Charletteequivalent
- CarlotaSpanish, Portuguese
- Carlottacognate · Italian
- CharlotePortuguese, gallo
- Sikaborrowing · Greenlandic
- Chanetteequivalent
- LottaFinnish, Icelandic
Show 18 moreShow fewer
- 夏洛特Chinese
- Шарлоттаborrowing · Russian
- Tchårlotecognate · Walloon
- Sialoortaborrowing · Greenlandic
- Šarloteborrowing · Latvian
- Halakiborrowing · Hawaiian
- Charlottiaequivalent
- ŠarlotaCzech
- ΣάρλοτGreek
- SaroltaHungarian
- SzarlotaPolish
- シャーロットJapanese
- HārataMāori
- CarlòtaOccitan
- שרלוטHebrew
- ĈarlottaEsperanto
- Karlottecognate
- Séarlaitcognate
See also 1
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Charlotte
- Charlotte BrontëBritish novelist and poet (1816-1855)
- Charli XCXBritish singer (born 1992)
- Princess Charlotte of Walesdaughter of William, Prince of Wales, and Catherine, Princess of Walesborn 2015
- Charlotte GainsbourgFrench and British actress and singer (born 1971)
- Charlotte Cordayfigure of the French Revolution (1768-1793)
- Charlotte Perkins GilmanAmerican feminist, writer, artist, and lecturer (1860–1935)
- Charlotte of Mecklenburg-StrelitzQueen consort of Great Britain and Ireland from 1761 to 18181744–1818
- Charlotte of BelgiumEmpress consort of Mexico (1863-1867)1840–1927
- Charlotte, Grand Duchess of LuxembourgGrand Duchess of Luxembourg from 1919 to 19641896–1985
Characters named Charlotte: Charlotte Lewis (the American mystery fiction television series Lost), Charlotte York (American TV series Sex and the City).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Charlotte, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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“the shining light”
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