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At a Glance: Name: Charlotte – Meaning: feminine diminutive of Charles, sharing its root meaning 'free man' (popularly softened to 'free woman') – Origin: French – Gender: used for both boys and girls – Pronunciation: SHAR-lut
Charlotte is the French feminine diminutive of Charles. You'll often see it claimed that Charlotte means 'free woman,' but that's a softened, feminized gloss rather than the literal history — the root it shares with Charles actually means 'free man.' Worth knowing if you're picking the name partly for its meaning.
Meaning & Origin of Charlotte
Meaning: Feminine diminutive of Charles, sharing its root meaning 'free man' (popularly softened to 'free woman').
Origin: French.
A common claim: Charlotte is widely said to mean 'free woman.' Actually: That's a feminized folk gloss, not the literal etymology — the root Charlotte shares with Charles literally means 'free man,' not 'free woman.'
Source: Wiktionary, Wikipedia.
How to Pronounce Charlotte
Phonetic: SHAR-lut IPA: /ˈʃɑːrlət/
Popularity of Charlotte
Charlotte ranked #4 among U.S. baby girls in 2024 with 12,552 babies given the name, just off its peak of #3 in 2021 when 13,362 girls were named Charlotte, according to Social Security data spanning 1880-2024.
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration birth-name data, 1880–2024.
Make Charlotte Name Art
Free printable nursery art for Charlotte, pre-loaded below — pick a layout, palette, and font, then download a print-ready PNG.
Names With a Similar Story
Derived from shared style, era, and origin data (or, for names we have no style data for, a similar Social Security popularity trajectory) — not a hand-picked list.
FAQ
What does the name Charlotte mean?
Feminine diminutive of Charles, sharing its root meaning ‘free man’ (popularly softened to ‘free woman’). (Source: Wiktionary, https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Charlotte)
How do you pronounce Charlotte?
Charlotte is pronounced SHAR-lut (IPA: /ˈʃɑːrlət/).
Is Charlotte a popular name right now?
Charlotte peaked at #3 in 2021 and is ranked #4 as of 2024. (U.S. Social Security Administration data, 1880–2024.)
📊 How popular is Charlotte? See the full popularity history, trend data, and ranking since 1880 with our free Baby Name Popularity Checker.
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