The first name Charles

Discover the meaning and origin of the first name Charles, its history and its evolution in baptism records preserved in Genealogy Quebec’s collections.

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About the first name Charles

Meaning

The name Charles is traditionally associated with the idea of a “free man” or simply “man”.

Historical origin

The name Charles comes from the Germanic Karl, widely spread by Frankish and European dynasties.

Did you know?

Charles also appears in several compound names, for example Charles-Édouard, Charles-Émile and Charles-Eugène. This productivity helps explain the many related forms found in historical records.

Pronunciation:charlʃaʁl

Frequency of the first name Charles by baptism year

The chart below shows the frequency of the first name Charles by the year of baptisms listed in Genealogy Quebec’s data. It highlights the periods when this first name appears most often and its evolution across generations.

7,651total mentions

Annual evolution of the first name CharlesLine chart showing the frequency of the first name Charles in baptisms by year.50037525012501605168617671848192920101605–1609 5 baptisms1615–1619 3 baptisms1620–1624 7 baptisms1625–1629 17 baptisms1630–1634 1 baptisms1635–1639 9 baptisms1640–1644 7 baptisms1645–1649 8 baptisms1650–1654 12 baptisms1655–1659 12 baptisms1660–1664 28 baptisms1665–1669 37 baptisms1670–1674 44 baptisms1675–1679 46 baptisms1680–1684 42 baptisms1685–1689 32 baptisms1690–1694 38 baptisms1695–1699 52 baptisms1700–1704 39 baptisms1705–1709 64 baptisms1710–1714 51 baptisms1715–1719 52 baptisms1720–1724 38 baptisms1725–1729 46 baptisms1730–1734 58 baptisms1735–1739 96 baptisms1740–1744 93 baptisms1745–1749 63 baptisms1750–1754 74 baptisms1755–1759 78 baptisms1760–1764 102 baptisms1765–1769 89 baptisms1770–1774 104 baptisms1775–1779 92 baptisms1780–1784 118 baptisms1785–1789 130 baptisms1790–1794 159 baptisms1795–1799 162 baptisms1800–1804 213 baptisms1805–1809 189 baptisms1810–1814 215 baptisms1815–1819 224 baptisms1820–1824 246 baptisms1825–1829 280 baptisms1830–1834 369 baptisms1835–1839 340 baptisms1840–1844 404 baptisms1845–1849 430 baptisms1850–1854 405 baptisms1855–1859 425 baptisms1860–1864 384 baptisms1865–1869 301 baptisms1870–1874 222 baptisms1875–1879 213 baptisms1880–1884 152 baptisms1885–1889 108 baptisms1890–1894 86 baptisms1895–1899 64 baptisms1900–1904 31 baptisms1905–1909 18 baptisms1910–1914 18 baptisms1915–1919 21 baptisms1920–1924 16 baptisms1925–1929 16 baptisms1930–1934 6 baptisms1935–1939 7 baptisms1940–1944 4 baptisms1945–1949 7 baptisms1950–1954 6 baptisms1955–1959 4 baptisms1960–1964 6 baptisms1965–1969 2 baptisms1970–1974 3 baptisms1975–1979 12 baptisms1980–1984 20 baptisms1985–1989 14 baptisms1990–1994 32 baptisms1995–1999 18 baptisms2000–2004 7 baptisms2005–2009 2 baptisms2010–2014 3 baptisms

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