Given name · also Late Greek
Charmian
“charming and delightful woman”
Charmian combines a Greek connection to “delight” with a place beside Cleopatra in Shakespeare.
Meaning & origin
What it means
Charmian is a variant of Charmaine. One English interpretation is “charming and delightful woman.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Egyptian.
The story
Charmian is an attendant of Cleopatra in Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra. Shakespeare took the name from Thomas North’s translation of Plutarch’s Parallel Lives, giving it a documented route from classical biography to the stage.
Charmian through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 473
- 0 boys · 473 girls
- Most popular year
- 1970
- 18 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for girls is 8 in 1986. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Its largest published annual count for girls was 18 in 1970. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 379 as a first name in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Charmian’s family of names
Charmian has a related form in Charmaine. In English usage, Charmian has a related form in CHARMIN.
The ring: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 3
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
See also 1
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Charmian
- Charmian CarrAmerican actress (1942–2016)
- Charmian CliftAustralian writer (1923–1969)
- Charmian MayEnglish actress (1937-2002)
- Charmian LondonAmerican writer (1871-1955)
- Charmian Goochanti-corruption campaignerborn 1965
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Charmian, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Charlene
“a small, strong woman”
>99% girls
Jerilyn
“one who rules with the spear”
>99% girls
Janeen
“God is gracious”
>99% girls
Janeane
“God is gracious”
>99% girls
Sharin
“rose of Sharon” · “from the plains; a flowering shrub”
>99% girls
Larinda
“lara” · “one who is protected; a cheerful woman”
>99% girls
Rolanda
“well-known throughout the land” · “from the renowned land”
1% boys · 99% girls
Orlantha
“from the renowned land”
>99% girls