People with the first name Charles
1,207,972
About 1 in 274 Americans had this first name in the 2020 Census.
Measured, privacy-protected national Census count—not a total of historical baby-name records.
U.S. first-name statistics
How common is Charles?
Charles was the #17 most frequent first name in the 2020 Census.
National rank
#17
More common than 100.0% of listed first names
Peak year
1947
40,919 SSA-recorded births
2025 births
5,908
#82 across first names
Census frequency
1 in 274
Across the 2020 U.S. population
Sex distribution
Reported in the 2020 Census first-name table.
99.8% male0.2% female
Demographic distribution
Aggregated race and Hispanic-origin reporting in the 2020 Census name table.
Reading the result
Charles across two different records
The Census count answers “how many people had this name?” using a national snapshot of living residents in 2020. The SSA series answers “when was this name popular?” using Social Security card applications associated with births.
Charles reached its highest published annual SSA count in 1947, with 40,919 recorded births. In 2025, SSA recorded 5,908 babies with the name.
Names do not determine a person’s identity. Demographic percentages above describe national aggregates and should never be applied to an individual.
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