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 Runes are the Letter (alphabet), letters in a set of related alphabets, known as runic rows, runic alphabets or futharks (also, see ''#Futharks, futhark'' vs ''#Runic alphabets, runic alphabet''), native to the Germanic peoples. Runes were ...

) 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 German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

, 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 Francien may refer to: * Francien language * Francien, feminine given name, Dutch version of the name Francine, borne by: ** Francien de Zeeuw Sub-lieutenant, Luitenant ter zee der 2de klasse Francien de Zeeuw (Terneuzen, 19 May 1922 – Midde ...

) 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 Germanic kingship is a thesis regarding the role of kings among the pre-Christianized Germanic tribes of the Migration period (c. 300–700 AD) and Early Middle Ages (c. 700–1000 AD). The thesis holds that the institution of feudal mona ...

, 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 The ''Ecclesiastical History of the English People'' (), written by Bede in about AD 731, is a history of the Christian Churches in England, and of England generally; its main focus is on the growth of Christianity. It was composed in Latin, and ...

''. 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 Mul (, literally "mule") (died 687) was an Anglo-Saxons, Anglo-Saxon ruler of the Kingdom of Kent in England. Biography The name Mul is very unusual and it has been postulated that it derives from the Latin ''mulus'' meaning mule, a word which ...

(7th century) which simply translates to "mule".

Charles Martel Charles Martel (; – 22 October 741), ''Martel'' being a sobriquet in Old French for "The Hammer", was a Franks, Frankish political and military leader who, as Duke and Prince of the Franks and Mayor of the Palace, was the de facto ruler of ...

, the son of

Pepin of Herstal Pepin II (c. 635 – 16 December 714), commonly known as Pepin of Herstal, was a Franks, Frankish statesman and military leader who was the de facto ruler of Francia as the Mayor of the Palace from 680 until his death. He took the title Duke ...

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 Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and above sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they ...

. Charles' eldest son was named Carloman (754), a rare example of the element ''carl-'' occurring in a compound name. The ''

Chronicle of Fredegar The ''Chronicle of Fredegar'' is the conventional title used for a 7th-century Frankish chronicle that was probably written in Burgundy. The author is unknown and the attribution to Fredegar dates only from the 16th century. The chronicle begi ...

'' names an earlier ''Carloman'' as the father of

Pepin of Landen Pepin I (also Peppin, Pipin, or Pippin) of Landen (c. 580 – 27 February 640), also called the Elder or the Old, was the Mayor of the palace of Austrasia under the Merovingian King Dagobert I from 623 to 629. He was also the Mayor for Sige ...

, 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 The Carolingian dynasty ( ; known variously as the Carlovingians, Carolingus, Carolings, Karolinger or Karlings) was a Franks, Frankish noble family named after Charles Martel and his grandson Charlemagne, descendants of the Pippinids, Arnulfi ...

. 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 Charles the Younger ( – 4 December 811) was the son of the Frankish ruler Charlemagne and his wife Queen Hildegard. Charlemagne's second son, Charles gained favour over his older, possibly illegitimate half brother Pepin. Charles was entruste ...

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 Charles of Provence or Charles of Burgundy (84525 January 863) was a Carolingian king and ruler of Provence and Lower Burgundy from 855 until his early death in 863. Charles was the youngest son of Emperor Lothair I and Ermengarde of Tours. ...

(845–863), Charles the Child (847/848–866) and

Charles the Simple Charles III (17 September 879 – 7 October 929), called the Simple or the Straightforward (from the Latin ''Carolus Simplex''), was the king of West Francia from 898 until 922 and the king of Lotharingia from 911 until 919–923. He was a memb ...

(879–929).

Later Middle Ages and Early Modern history

The name survives into the High Middle Ages (

Charles, Duke of Lower Lorraine Charles (c. 953 – 22 June 992/995?) was the duke of Lower Lorraine from 977 until his death. Life Born at Reims in the summer of 953, Charles was the son of Louis IV of France and Gerberga of Saxony and the younger brother of King Lothair ...

;

Charles, Count of Valois Charles, Count of Valois (12 March 1270 – 16 December 1325), was a member of the House of Capet and founder of the House of Valois, which ruled over France from 1328. He was the fourth son of King Philip III of France and Isabella o ...

;

Charles I, Count of Flanders Charles the Good (10842 March 1127) was Count of Flanders from 1119 to 1127. His murder and its aftermath were chronicled by Galbert of Bruges. He was beatified by Pope Leo XIII in 1882 through ''cultus'' ''confirmation''. Early life Charles ...

(Charles the Good, beatified in 1882);

Charles I of Naples Charles I (early 1226/12277 January 1285), commonly called Charles of Anjou or Charles d'Anjou, was King of Sicily from 1266 to 1285. He was a member of the royal Capetian dynasty and the founder of the House of Anjou-Sicily. Between 1246 and ...

;

Charles I of Hungary Charles I, also known as Charles Robert (; ; ; 128816 July 1342), was King of Hungary and Croatia in the union with Hungary, Croatia from 1308 to his death. He was a member of the Capetian House of Anjou and the only son of Charles Martel of A ...

). 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 Charles IV (; ; ; 14 May 1316 – 29 November 1378''Karl IV''. In: (1960): ''Geschichte in Gestalten'' (''History in figures''), vol. 2: ''F–K''. 38, Frankfurt 1963, p. 294), also known as Charles of Luxembourg, born Wenceslaus (, ), was H ...

(1316–1378, counted as "the fourth" after Charlemagne, Charles the Bald and Charles the Fat) and in France with

Charles IV of France Charles IV (18/19 June 1294 – 1 February 1328), called the Fair (''le Bel'') in France and the Bald (''el Calvo'') in Navarre, was the last king of the direct line of the House of Capet, List of French monarchs, King of France and List of Nav ...

(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 Charles V (24 February 1500 – 21 September 1558) was Holy Roman Emperor and Archduke of Austria from 1519 to 1556, King of Spain (as Charles I) from 1516 to 1556, and Lord of the Netherlands as titular Duke of Burgundy (as Charles II) ...

(1500–1558) gives rise to a tradition of Charlses in Habsburg Spain (

Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI (; ; 1 October 1685 – 20 October 1740) was Holy Roman Emperor and ruler of the Austrian Habsburg monarchy from 1711 until his death, succeeding his elder brother, Joseph I, Holy Roman Emperor, Joseph I. He unsuccessfully War of ...

Charles II of Spain Charles II (6 November 1661 – 1 November 1700) was King of Spain from 1665 to 1700. The last monarch from the House of Habsburg, which had ruled Spain since 1516, he died without an heir, leading to a European Great Power conflict over the succ ...

Charles III of Spain Charles III (; 20 January 1716 – 14 December 1788) was King of Spain in the years 1759 to 1788. He was also Duke of Parma and Piacenza, as Charles I (1731–1735); King of Naples, as Charles VII; and King of Sicily, as Charles III (or V) (1735� ...

Charles IV of Spain Charles IV (; 11 November 1748 – 20 January 1819) was King of Spain and ruler of the Spanish Empire from 1788 to 1808. The Spain inherited by Charles IV gave few indications of instability, but during his reign, Spain entered a series of disa ...

). The numbering scheme for the

kings of Sweden This list records the Monarchy of Sweden, monarchs of Sweden, from the late Viking Age to the present day. Sweden has continuously been a monarchy since the country's consolidation in the Viking Age and early Middle Ages, for over a thousand year ...

was continued in modern times with

Charles X Gustav Charles X Gustav, also Carl X Gustav (; 8 November 1622 – 13 February 1660), was King of Sweden from 1654 until his death. He was the son of John Casimir, Count Palatine of Kleeburg, John Casimir, Count Palatine of Palatinate-Kleeburg, Zweib ...

, Charles XI,

Charles XII Charles XII, sometimes Carl XII () or Carolus Rex (17 June 1682 – 30 November 1718 Old Style and New Style dates, O.S.), was King of Sweden from 1697 to 1718. He belonged to the House of Palatinate-Zweibrücken, a branch line of the House of ...

Charles XIII Charles XIII or Carl XIII (; 7 October 1748 – 5 February 1818) was King of Sweden from 1809 and King of Norway from 1814 to his death. He was the second son (and younger brother to King Gustav III) of King Adolf Frederick of Sweden and Louisa ...

, Charles XIV John and

Charles XV Charles XV or Carl (''Carl Ludvig Eugen''; Swedish language, Swedish and Norwegian language, Norwegian officially: ''Karl''; 3 May 1826 – 18 September 1872) was King of Sweden and List of Norwegian monarchs, Norway, there often referred to as C ...

Charles I of England Charles I (19 November 1600 – 30 January 1649) was King of Kingdom of England, England, Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland, and Kingdom of Ireland, Ireland from 27 March 1625 until Execution of Charles I, his execution in 1649. Charles was born ...

(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 The Province of Carolina was a colony of the Kingdom of England (1663–1707) and later the Kingdom of Great Britain (1707–1712) that existed in North America and the Caribbean from 1663 until the Carolinas were partitioned into North and Sou ...

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 Infante (, ; f. ''infanta''), also anglicised as "infant" or translated as "prince", is the title and rank given in the Iberian kingdoms of Spain (including the predecessor kingdoms of Aragon, Castile, Navarre, and León) and Portugal to the ...

(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 House of Bourbon (, also ; ) is a dynasty that originated in the Kingdom of France as a branch of the Capetian dynasty, the royal House of France. Bourbon kings first ruled France and Kingdom of Navarre, Navarre in the 16th century. A br ...

. 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 The Spanish–American War (April 21 – August 13, 1898) was fought between Restoration (Spain), Spain and the United States in 1898. It began with the sinking of the USS Maine (1889), USS ''Maine'' in Havana Harbor in Cuba, and resulted in the ...

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 The Lewis and Clark Expedition, also known as the Corps of Discovery Expedition, was the United States expedition to cross the newly acquired western portion of the country after the Louisiana Purchase. The Corps of Discovery was a select gro ...

Charles DeRudio Charles Camillo DeRudio (born Carlo Camillo Di Rudio; August 26, 1832 – November 1, 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 Regiment at the ...

(1832–1910) was an Italian aristocrat, would-be assassin of

Napoleon III Napoleon III (Charles-Louis Napoléon Bonaparte; 20 April 18089 January 1873) was President of France from 1848 to 1852 and then Emperor of the French from 1852 until his deposition in 1870. He was the first president, second emperor, and last ...

, and later a career U.S. Army officer who fought in the 7th U.S. Cavalry at the

Battle of the Little Bighorn The Battle of the Little Bighorn, known to the Lakota people, Lakota and other Plains Indians as the Battle of the Greasy Grass, and commonly referred to as Custer's Last Stand, was an armed engagement between combined forces of the Lakota Si ...

. 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. Charley Reynolds, "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, 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 (given name), Caroline and Charlotte are feminine given names derived from ''Carl''. Charlotte (given name), 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 (given name), 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 language, Bulgarian, Catalan language, Catalan, Dutch, English,

, Italian language, Italian, Portuguese language, Portuguese, Spanish language, 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 (disambiguation), Karolina (Bulgarian, Indonesian, Polish, Swedish) ** Karolína (Czech) ** Karoline (Danish, Indonesian, Norwegian, Swedish) ** Karolina (Каролина) (Russian) ** Keraleyn (קעראַליין) (Yiddish) ** Carly (American) ** Carol (given name), Carol (English) * Carola (German, Swedish) ** Carole (disambiguation), Carole (English, French, Portuguese) ** Karol (קאַראָל) (Yiddish language, Yiddish) ** Kyārōla (क्यारोल) (Nepali language, 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 (missionary), 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

, 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 I, Count of Flanders, 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 (missionary), Charles Garnier (1606–1649), French Jesuit missionary and martyr *1959: Saint Charles of Sezze (1616–1670), Franciscan lay brother *1964: Saint Charles Lwanga (1860 or 1865–1886), Ugandan Catholic martyr *1995: Saint Eugène de Mazenod, Charles-Joseph-Eugène de Mazenod (1782–1861), French Catholic clergyman *2007: Saint Charles of Mount Argus (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-Hungary, Austria, king of Kingdom of Hungary (Austria-Hungary), Hungary, Kingdom of Bohemia (1867–1918), Bohemia, 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 preacher 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

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) *

(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) *

(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 *

(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, Charles III, King of the United Kingdom (born 1948), eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh

Scientists

Other

;Architecture *Disappearance of Charles Armstrong, 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, most-decorated Commonwealth serviceman of World War Two ;Criminals *Charles Bronson (prisoner), 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 (convict), Charles Hudspeth, American man convicted of murder *Murder of the Lawson family, Charles "Charlie" Lawson, American mass murderer and family annihilator *Charles Manson (1934–2017), American cult leader, convicted murder conspirator *Carl Panzram, Charles "Carl" Panzram, American serial killer *Charles Ponzi, 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 (short story), Charles", a short story by Shirley Jackson *Charley horse, a biophysical condition

References

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