French feminine of Charles, from Germanic karl, "free man" — free man. Queen Charlotte, consort of George III, made it a royal staple in the 1760s; the 2015 birth of Princess Charlotte lifted it again.
Charlotte ranks 2nd among American girls in 2025, with 13,408 born that year. Its best year was 2025, when 13,408 babies were given the name, ranking 2nd. The typical living American called Charlotte is about 15 years old today. It is relatively most common in Vermont, where it accounts for 1.60% of births.
Source: US Social Security Administration, national and state name files, 2025 release, and the Office for National Statistics for England and Wales. Etymology researched and written by our editors. Living-population and median-age figures are our own estimates, described in the methodology.