Charles

Where the name comes from

• Germanic, via Medieval Latin and French
  man
  Old High German karl ‘man’ (Old English ceorl ‘freeman’); Medieval Latin Carolus
  The Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources: Old High German karl ‘man’, Old English c(e)arl, ceorl ‘freeman’. The Online Etymology Dictionary traces Charles through French and Medieval Latin Carolus to German Karl, literally “man, husband.” Charlotte Yonge (1884) glosses Charles, Carlos, Carlo and Carl alike as Teutonic “man.”

Charles across traditions

• Frankish (Carolingian). Charlemagne (“Carl the Great,” Latin Carolus Magnus) was king of the Franks from 768, and from 800 the first emperor of what was later called the Holy Roman Empire; his dynasty made Charles a royal name across Europe. Latin records of the name begin in Germany in 726.
• Spanish and Latin American. The Spanish form Carlos is recorded from 1524. Charles V ruled Spain as Charles I (1516–56), with realms reaching overseas to Spanish America.
• European. Medieval records show Carlo (Italian), Carles (Catalan), Karel and Charles (Dutch), Karl (Old Swedish, German), and Latin Carolus in records from Hungary, Poland and Bohemia; in English the spelling Charles is common from the 1550s.
• United States (SSA). 1,143,290 combined births in the SSA decade tables, 1950s–2010s. Peak decade: the 1950s (361,177 births, #10 among boys). In the top 100 in all seven decades, 1950s–2010s, and still #50 in the 2010s.

Who carried it

• Charlemagne (Charles the Great) (Born April 2, 747? – died January 28, 814): King of the Franks 768–814, king of the Lombards 774–814, first emperor 800–814
• Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (Charles I of Spain) (February 24, 1500 – September 21, 1558): King of Spain 1516–56; his realms reached overseas to Spanish America

Forms in other languages

Carlos, Carlo, Carles, Karel, Karl, Carl, Carolus, Charlie, Charley, Charlot

Charles in letter-number systems

Hebrew, Greek and other traditions gave every letter a number, and read meaning into the totals. These are the counts, computed; the readings are inside the Innerverse.