Charles is a masculine

given name A given name (also known as a forename or first name) is the part of a personal name quoted in that identifies a person, potentially with a middle name as well, and differentiates that person from the other members of a group (typically a f ...

predominantly found in English and French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*karilaz'' (in

Latin alphabet The Latin alphabet, also known as the Roman alphabet, is the collection of letters originally used by the Ancient Rome, ancient Romans to write the Latin language. Largely unaltered except several letters splitting—i.e. from , and from � ...

), whose meaning was "free man". The

Old English Old English ( or , or ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the Early Middle Ages. It developed from the languages brought to Great Britain by Anglo-S ...

descendant of this word was '' Ċearl'' or ''Ċeorl'', as the name of King Cearl of Mercia, that disappeared after the

Norman conquest of England The Norman Conquest (or the Conquest) was the 11th-century invasion and occupation of England by an army made up of thousands of Normans, Norman, French people, French, Flemish people, Flemish, and Bretons, Breton troops, all led by the Du ...

. The name was notably borne by

Charlemagne Charlemagne ( ; 2 April 748 – 28 January 814) was List of Frankish kings, King of the Franks from 768, List of kings of the Lombards, King of the Lombards from 774, and Holy Roman Emperor, Emperor of what is now known as the Carolingian ...

(Charles the Great), and was at the time Latinized as ''Karolus'' (as in ''

Vita Karoli Magni ''Vita Karoli Magni'' (''Life of Charlemagne'') is a biography of Charlemagne, King of the Franks and Holy Roman Emperor, Emperor of the Romans, written by Einhard.Ogg, p. 109 The ''Life of Charlemagne'' is a 33 chapter account starting with th ...

''), later also as '' Carolus''.

Etymology

The name's etymology is a

Common Germanic Proto-Germanic (abbreviated PGmc; also called Common Germanic) is the reconstructed proto-language of the Germanic branch of the Indo-European languages. Proto-Germanic eventually developed from pre-Proto-Germanic into three Germanic bra ...

noun ''*karilaz'' meaning "free man", which survives in English as

churl A churl ( Old High German ), in its earliest Old English (Anglo-Saxon) meaning, was simply "a man" or more particularly a "free man", but the word soon came to mean "a non-servile peasant", still spelled , and denoting the lowest rank of freemen ...

(< Old English ''ċeorl''), which developed its deprecating sense in the

Middle English Middle English (abbreviated to ME) is a form of the English language that was spoken after the Norman Conquest of 1066, until the late 15th century. The English language underwent distinct variations and developments following the Old English pe ...

period. Some Germanic languages, for example Dutch and German, have retained the word in two separate senses. In the particular case of Dutch, ''Karel'' refers to the

, whereas the noun ''kerel'' means "a bloke, fellow, man". In the form ''Charles'', the initial spelling ''ch-'' corresponds to the palatalization of the Latin group ''ca-'' to ʃain Central Old French ( Francien) and the final ''-s'' to the former subjective case (cas sujet) of

masculine Masculinity (also called manhood or manliness) is a set of attributes, behaviors, and roles generally associated with men and boys. Masculinity can be theoretically understood as socially constructed, and there is also evidence that some beh ...

names in

Old French Old French (, , ; ) was the language spoken in most of the northern half of France approximately between the late 8th Giles or James (< Latin ''-us'', see Spanish/ Portuguese ''Carlos''). According to Julius Pokorny">James_(name).html" ;"title="Giles (given name)">Giles or James (name)">James (< Latin ''-us'', see Spanish/ Portuguese ''Carlos''). According to

Indo-Europeanist, the root meaning of Charles is "old man", from Proto-Indo-European language">Indo-European The Indo-European languages are a language family native to the northern Indian subcontinent, most of Europe, and the Iranian plateau with additional native branches found in regions such as Sri Lanka, the Maldives, parts of Central Asia (e. ...

* ĝer-, where the ĝ is a palatal consonant">wikt:Appendix:Proto-Indo-European/ǵerh₂-">ĝer-, where the ĝ is a palatal consonant, meaning "to rub; to be old; grain." An old man has been worn away and is now grey with age. In some Slavic languages, the name ''Drago (given name), Drago'' (and variants: ''Dragomir'', ''Dragoslav'', etc., all based on the root ''drag'' 'dear') has been used as an equivalent for ''Charles'' (''Karel'', etc.). This is based on the

false etymology A false etymology (fake etymology or pseudo-etymology) is a false theory about the origin or derivation of a specific word or phrase. When a false etymology becomes a popular belief in a cultural/linguistic community, it is a folk etymology (or po ...

deriving ''Carl'' from

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

''carus'' 'dear'. Examples are the Slovene politician Karel Dežman (1821–1889), also known as ''Dragotin Dežman'', and the Slovene historian Dragotin Lončar (1876–1954), baptized ''Carl''.

History

Early Middle Ages

The name is atypical for

Germanic name Germanic given names are traditionally dithematic; that is, they are formed from two elements ( stems), by joining a prefix and a suffix. For example, King Æþelred's name was derived from ', meaning "noble", and ', meaning "counsel". The i ...

s as it is not composed of two elements, but simply a noun meaning "(free) man". This meaning of ''ceorl'' contrasts with '' eorl'' (Old Norse ''jarl'') "nobleman" on one hand and with ''þeow'' (Old Norse '' þræll'') "bondsman, slave" on the other. As such it would not seem a likely candidate for the name of a Germanic king, but it is attested as such with Cearl of Mercia (), the first Mercian king mentioned by

Bede Bede (; ; 672/326 May 735), also known as Saint Bede, Bede of Jarrow, the Venerable Bede, and Bede the Venerable (), was an English monk, author and scholar. He was one of the most known writers during the Early Middle Ages, and his most f ...

in his '' Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum''. It is a peculiarity of the Anglo-Saxon royal names that many of the rulers of the earliest period (6th to 7th centuries) have monothematic (simplex) names, while the standard dithematic (compounded) names become almost universal from the 8th century. Compare the name of King Mul of Kent (7th century) which simply translates to "mule". Charles Martel, the son of Pepin of Herstal and Alpaida, was either illegitimate or the product of a bigamous marriage, and therefore indeed a "free man", but not of noble rank. After his victory at the Battle of Soissons (718), Charles Martel styled himself Duke of the Franks. Charles' eldest son was named Carloman (754), a rare example of the element ''carl-'' occurring in a compound name. The '' Chronicle of Fredegar'' names an earlier ''Carloman'' as the father of Pepin of Landen, and thus the great-great-grandfather of the Charles Martel. This would place the name ''Carloman'' in the 6th century, and open the possibility that the Frankish name ''Carl'' may originate as a short form of ''Carloman''. The only other compound name with the ''Carl-'' prefix is ''Carlofred'' (''Carlefred''), attested in the 7th century; as a suffix, it occurs in the rare names ''Altcarl'' and ''Gundecarl'' (9th and 11th centuries, respectively).

(742–814) was Charles Martel's grandson. After Charlemagne's reign, the name became irrevocably connected with him and his Carolingian dynasty. After Charlemagne, the name Charles (''Karol'') became even the standard word for "king" in Slavic (Czech and Slovak ''král'', Polish ''król''; South Slavic ''kral'' крал, ''krȃlj'' краљ; Russian король), Baltic (Latvian ''karalis'', Lithuanian ''karalius'') and Hungarian (''király''). Charlemagne's son Charles the Younger died without issue, but the name resurfaces repeatedly within the 9th-century Carolingian family tree, so with

Charles the Bald Charles the Bald (; 13 June 823 – 6 October 877), also known as CharlesII, was a 9th-century king of West Francia (843–877), King of Italy (875–877) and emperor of the Carolingian Empire (875–877). After a series of civil wars during t ...

(823–877),

Charles the Fat Charles the Fat (839 – 13 January 888) was the emperor of the Carolingian Empire from 881 to 887. A member of the Carolingian dynasty, Charles was the youngest son of Louis the German and Hemma, and a great-grandson of Charlemagne. He was t ...

(839–888) Charles of Provence (845–863), Charles the Child (847/848–866) and Charles the Simple (879–929).

Later Middle Ages and Early Modern history

The name survives into the High Middle Ages ( Charles, Duke of Lower Lorraine; Charles, Count of Valois; Charles I, Count of Flanders (Charles the Good, beatified in 1882); Charles I of Naples; Charles I of Hungary). Karl Sverkersson was a king of Sweden in the 12th century, counted as "Charles VII" due to a genealogical fiction of the 17th century by Charles "IX", but actually the first king of Sweden with this name. Charles resurfaces as a royal name in Germany with Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor (1316–1378, counted as "the fourth" after Charlemagne, Charles the Bald and Charles the Fat) and in France with Charles IV of France (1294–1328, "the fourth" after Charlemagne, Charles the Bald and Charles the Simple), and becomes comparatively widespread in the

Late Middle Ages The late Middle Ages or late medieval period was the Periodization, period of History of Europe, European history lasting from 1300 to 1500 AD. The late Middle Ages followed the High Middle Ages and preceded the onset of the early modern period ( ...

( Charles I, Duke of Savoy, Charles III, Duke of Savoy). Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (1500–1558) gives rise to a tradition of Charlses in Habsburg Spain ( Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor, Charles II of Spain, Charles III of Spain, Charles IV of Spain). The numbering scheme for the kings of Sweden was continued in modern times with Charles X Gustav, Charles XI, Charles XII, Charles XIII, Charles XIV John and Charles XV. Charles I of England (1600–1649) is followed by

Charles II of England Charles II (29 May 1630 – 6 February 1685) was King of Scotland from 1649 until 1651 and King of England, Scotland, and King of Ireland, Ireland from the 1660 Restoration of the monarchy until his death in 1685. Charles II was the eldest su ...

(1630–1685). The Province of Carolina is named during the rule of Charles II, after Charles I. Charles III Philip, Elector Palatine (1661–1742).

Modern history

Carlism Carlism (; ; ; ) is a Traditionalism (Spain), Traditionalist and Legitimist political movement in Spain aimed at establishing an alternative branch of the Bourbon dynasty, one descended from Infante Carlos María Isidro of Spain, Don Carlos, ...

is a political movement in

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

seeking the establishment of a separate line of the Bourbon family on the Spanish throne. This line descended from Infante Carlos, Count of Molina (1788–1855), and was founded due to dispute over the succession laws and widespread dissatisfaction with the Alfonsine line of the House of Bourbon. The movement was at its strongest in the 1830s, causing the Carlist Wars, and had a revival following Spain's defeat in the Spanish–American War in 1898, and lasted until the end of the Franco regime in 1975 as a social and political force Charles Floyd (1782–1804) was the only casualty in the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Charles DeRudio (1832–1910) was an Italian aristocrat, would-be assassin of Napoleon III, and later a career U.S. Army officer who fought in the 7th U.S. Cavalry at the Battle of the Little Bighorn. Charles Albert Varnum (1849–1936) was the commander of the scouts in the Little Bighorn Campaign and received the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, military decoration and is awarded to recognize American United States Army, soldiers, United States Navy, sailors, Un ...

for his actions in a conflict following the Battle of Wounded Knee. "Lonesome" Charley Reynolds (1842–1876) was a scout in the U.S. 7th Cavalry Regiment who was killed at the Battle of the Little Bighorn. ''Carl'' has been a very popular male given name in the United States during the late 19th to early 20th centuries, consistently ranking in the top 30 male given names in the US from 1887 to 1938, and remaining among the top 100 until the 1980s, but since declining below rank 500. ''Charles'' has always been among the top 100 names in the U.S. since records started in 1880. In addition, it is among the top 100 names given in England and Wales; the current King of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms,

Charles III Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. Charles was born at Buckingham Palace during the reign of his maternal grandfather, King George VI, and ...

, is a notable bearer of the name. In 2022, it was the 26th most popular name given to boys in Canada.

Derived feminine names

Caroline and Charlotte are feminine given names derived from ''Carl''. Charlotte is late medieval, e.g. Charlotte of Savoy (1441–1483), Charlotte of Cyprus (1444–1487). It was introduced to Britain in the 17th century, and gave rise to hypocorisms such as ''Lottie, Tottie, Totty''. Caroline is early modern, e.g. Caroline of Ansbach (1683–1737). It has given rise to numerous variations, such as '' Carlyn, Carolina, Carolyn, Karolyn, Carolin, Karolina, Karoline, Karolina, Carolien'', as well as hypocorisms, such as ''Callie, Carol, Carrie'', etc. Another derived feminine name is Carla ( Bulgarian, Catalan, Dutch, English, German, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish), a name which dates from early Italy. Regional forms: ** Carolina (Italian, Indonesian, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish, Bulgarian) ** Caroline (English, French, Indonesian, Swedish, Danish, Dutch) ** Carolyn (English) ** Carlijn (Dutch) ** Karoliina (Finnish) ** Karolina (Bulgarian, Indonesian, Polish, Swedish) ** Karolína (Czech) ** Karoline (Danish, Indonesian, Norwegian, Swedish) ** Karolina (Каролина) (Russian) ** Keraleyn (קעראַליין) (Yiddish) ** Carly (American) ** Carol (English) * Carola (German, Swedish) ** Carole (English, French, Portuguese) ** Karol (קאַראָל) (

Yiddish Yiddish, historically Judeo-German, is a West Germanic language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. It originated in 9th-century Central Europe, and provided the nascent Ashkenazi community with a vernacular based on High German fused with ...

) ** Kyārōla (क्यारोल) ( Nepali) ** Kerol (Керол) (Serbian), (Russian) * Charlotte (English, French, German, Swedish, Danish, Dutch) ** Carlota (Spanish, Portuguese, Catalan) ** Carlotta (Italian) ** Charlotta (Swedish) * Carla ** Charla (English) ** Karla (Bulgarian, German, Indonesian, Scandinavian, Serbian, Czech, Croatian) ** Карла (Bulgarian, Russian, Serbian) * Charlene (given name), Charlène

Regional forms of the name

List of notable people

Media, arts and entertainment

;In literature ;In music ;In film ;In television ;In visual arts ;Other areas of media, arts and entertainment

Athletes

In politics

In religion

* Charles Barff (1791–1866), English missionary

Saints

There are a number of historical figures known as "Saint Charles", although few are recognized across confessions. In the context of English and British history, "Saint Charles" is typically Charles I of England, recognized as a saint in the Anglican confession only. In Roman Catholicism, the best known Saint Charles is Charles Borromeo (1538–1584), an Italian cardinal, canonized by Pope Paul V in 1606. Charles, Duke of Brittany (1319–1364) had been canonized after his death, but Pope Gregory XI annulled this. Charles the Good (died 1127) is sometimes referred to as a saint, but while he was beatified in 1904, he has not been canonized. Other Saints of the Roman Catholic Church, canonized after 1900: *1904: Saint Charles Garnier (1606–1649), French Jesuit missionary and martyr *1959: Saint

Charles of Sezze Charles of Sezze (19 October 1613 – 6 January 1670) - born Giancarlo Marchioni - was an Italian people, Italian Brother (Christian), professed religious from the Order of Friars Minor. He became a religious despite the opposition of his parents ...

(1616–1670), Franciscan lay brother *1964: Saint Charles Lwanga (1860 or 1865–1886), Ugandan Catholic martyr *1995: Saint Charles-Joseph-Eugène de Mazenod (1782–1861), French Catholic clergyman *2007: Saint

Charles of Mount Argus Charles of Mount Argus (11 December 1821 – 5 January 1893), was a Dutch Passionist priest who served in 19th-century Ireland. He gained a reputation for his compassion for the sick and those in need of guidance. His reputation for healin ...

(1821–1818), Passionist Dutch priest who worked in Ireland Beatified: *1867: Blessed Charles Spinola (1564–1622), Genoese nobleman *2004: Blessed Charles I of Austria (1887–1922), last emperor of

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

, king of

Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...

Bohemia Bohemia ( ; ; ) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. In a narrow, geographic sense, it roughly encompasses the territories of present-day Czechia that fall within the Elbe River's drainage basin, but historic ...

, etc

Church leaders

* Charles Wesley (1707–1788), co-founder of the Methodist movement and writer of thousands of hymns * Charles Grandison Finney (1792–1875), a leader of the Second Great Awakening in America * Charles Godwyn (1701-1770), British cleric and antiquarian * Charles W. Penrose (1832–1925), leader in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints * Charles Haddon Spurgeon (1834–1892), Reformed Baptist preacher * Charles Harrison Mason (1866–1961),

Pentecostal Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a movement within the broader Evangelical wing of Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that emphasizes direct personal experience of God in Christianity, God through Baptism with the Holy Spirit#Cl ...

preacher A preacher is a person who delivers sermons or homilies on religious topics to an assembly of people. Less common are preachers who Open-air preaching, preach on the street, or those whose message is not necessarily religious, but who preach com ...

and founder of the Church of God in Christ * Charles Coughlin (1891–1979), American Catholic priest * Charles E. Sheedy (1912–1990), member of the

Congregation of Holy Cross The Congregation of Holy Cross (), abbreviated CSC, is a Catholic clerical religious congregation of pontifical right for men founded in 1837 by Basil Moreau, in Le Mans, France. Moreau also founded the Marianites of Holy Cross for women, n ...

Nobility

:''See #History above for medieval and early modern royalty and nobility. This section lists noblemen born after 1700.'' * Charles d'Ursel * Charles-Joseph, 4th Duke d'Ursel * Charles I, Duke of Brunswick-Wolfenbüttel (1713–1780) * Charles III of Spain (1716–1788), first son of the second marriage of Philip V with Elizabeth Farnese of Parma *"Bonnie Prince Charlie" Charles Edward Stuart (1720–1788), exiled claimant to the thrones of England, Scotland, and Ireland * Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis (1738–1805), English military commander and colonial governor * Charles XIII of Sweden (1748–1818), king of Sweden, the second son of King Adolf Frederick of Sweden and Louisa Ulrika of Prussia * Charles Emmanuel IV of Sardinia (1751–1819) * Charles IV of Spain (1748–1819), king of Spain from December 14, 1788, until his abdication on March 19, 1808 * Charles XIV John of Sweden (1763–1844), king of Sweden and Norway. Former Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte, Marshal of France * Infante Carlos, Count of Molina (1788–1855) * Charles, Count Léon (1806–1881), illegitimate son of Emperor Napoleon I of France and Catherine Eléonore Denuelle de la Plaigne * Charles III, Prince of Monaco (1818–1889), founder of the casino in Monte Carlo * Infante Carlos, Count of Montemolin (1818–1861) * Charles I of Romania (1839–1914) first ruler of the Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen dynasty * Carlos, Duke of Madrid (1848–1909) * Charles I of Portugal (1863–1908), second to last King of Portugal and Algarves from 1889 to 1908 * Charles I of Austria (1887–1922), Emperor of Austria * Charles II of Romania (1893–1853), eldest son of Ferdinand I * Charles XV of Sweden (1826–1872), king of Sweden, the eldest son of King Oscar I and Josephine of Leuchtenberg * Prince Charles of Belgium (1903–1983), second son of King Albert I of Belgium and Queen Elizabeth * Archduke Karl Pius of Austria, Prince of Tuscany (1909–1953) * Carlos Hugo, Duke of Parma (1930–2010) * Juan Carlos I of Spain (born 1938), former King of Spain * Charles III, King of the United Kingdom (born 1948), eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh

Scientists

Other

;Architecture * Charles Armstrong (died 1981), Irish labourer * Charles Barry, designer of the rebuilt Palace of Westminster * Charles Barry Jr., his son * Charles Thaddeus Russell (1875–1952), African American architect from Richmond, Virginia ;Aviation and Aerospace * Charles Lindbergh, first person to fly solo non-stop across the Atlantic Ocean * Chuck Yeager, American test pilot and first man to break the sound barrier ;Entrepreneurs and businessmen * Charles Darrow (1889–1967), American businessman falsely credited as the inventor of ''Monopoly'' * Don Charles Gemoris Attygalle (1836–1901), Sri Lankan Sinhala entrepreneur and mine owner * Charles Henry de Soysa (1836–1890), Sri Lankan Sinhala planter and philanthropist * Charles Keating, American financier, instigator of the "Keating 5" scandal * Charles Macalester, businessman, banker, philanthropist, namesake of Macalester College * Charles M. Schwab, founder of Bethlehem Steel * Charles R. Schwab, stock-broker and founder of the Charles Schwab Corporation * Charles Shor (born 1954), American businessman * Charles Stewart Wurts (1790-1859), American businessman * Charles Zadok (1897–1984), American businessman, art collector and patron ;Military personnel * Charles L. Armstrong (1948-2011), United States Marine Corps lieutenant colonel *

Charles Upham Charles Hazlitt Upham (21 September 1908 – 22 November 1994) was a New Zealand soldier decorated for actions during World War II. Born in Christchurch, New Zealand, he attended Christ's College, Christchurch, Christ's College and later the ...

, most-decorated Commonwealth serviceman of World War Two ;Criminals * Charles A. Salvador (born Michael Peterson but better known as "Charles Bronson"), notorious English prisoner * Charles Cullen, American serial killer and former nurse * Charles Gibbs, 19th-century pirate * Charles J. Guiteau, American assassin of 20th President James A. Garfield * Charles Hudspeth, American man convicted of murder * Charles "Charlie" Lawson, American mass murderer and family annihilator * Charles Manson (1934–2017), American cult leader, convicted murder conspirator * Charles "Carl" Panzram, American serial killer *

Charles Ponzi Charles Ponzi (; ; born Carlo Pietro Giovanni Guglielmo Tebaldo Ponzi; March 3, 1882 – January 18, 1949) was an Italians, Italian charlatan and Scam, con artist who operated in the United States and Canada. His Pseudonym, aliases included ''C ...

, Italian-American con-man, gave name to Ponzi scheme * Charles Sobhraj, Indian serial killer * Charles Starkweather, American teenage spree killer * Charles Whitman, American spree killer and former Marine

Other uses of the name

* Carolus (coin) *"

Charles Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English language, English and French language, French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic, Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''* ...

", a short story by Shirley Jackson * Charley horse, a biophysical condition

References

{{Authority control English given names English masculine given names Masculine given names English-language masculine given names French masculine given names Given names