Charles
Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English and French speaking countries. It is from the French form Charles of the Proto-Germanic name or *karilaz, whose meaning was "free man". The Old English 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 name was notably borne by Charlemagne, and was at the time Latinized as Karolus, later also as Carolus.
Etymology
The name's etymology is a Common Germanic noun *karilaz meaning "free man", which survives in English as churl, which developed its deprecating sense in the Middle English 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 given name, 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 in Central Old French and the final -s to the former subjective case of masculine names in Old French like in Giles or James.
According to Julius Pokorny, the historical linguist and Indo-Europeanist, the root meaning of Charles is "old man", from Indo-European *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 has been used as an equivalent for Charles. This is based on the false etymology deriving Carl from Latin carus 'dear'. Examples are the Slovene politician Karel Dežman, also known as Dragotin Dežman, and the Slovene historian Dragotin Lončar, baptized Carl.
History
Early Middle Ages
The name is atypical for Germanic names as it is not composed of two elements, but simply a noun meaning " man". This meaning of ceorl contrasts with eorl "nobleman" on one hand and with þeow "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 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 have monothematic names, while the standard dithematic names become almost universal from the 8th century. Compare the name of King Mul of Kent 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, Charles Martel styled himself Duke of the Franks. Charles' eldest son was named Carloman, 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, attested in the 7th century; as a suffix, it occurs in the rare names Altcarl and Gundecarl.
Charlemagne 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 became even the standard word for "king" in Slavic, Baltic and Hungarian.
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 Fat Charles of Provence, Charles the Child and Charles the Simple.
Later Middle Ages and Early Modern history
The name survives into the High Middle Ages. 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 and in France with Charles IV of France, and becomes comparatively widespread in the Late Middle Ages.
Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor gives rise to a tradition of Charlses in Habsburg 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 is followed by Charles II of England. The Province of Carolina is named during the rule of Charles II, after Charles I.
Charles III Philip, Elector Palatine.
Modern history
is a political movement in Spain seeking the establishment of a separate line of the Bourbon family on the Spanish throne. This line descended from Infante Carlos, Count of Molina, 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 forceCharles Floyd was the only casualty in the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Charles DeRudio 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 was the commander of the scouts in the Little Bighorn Campaign and received the Medal of Honor for his actions in a conflict following the Battle of Wounded Knee.
"Lonesome" Charley Reynolds 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
and Charlotte are feminine given names derived from Carl.Charlotte is late medieval, e.g. Charlotte of Savoy, Charlotte of Cyprus. 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. 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, a name which dates from early Italy.
Regional forms:
- * Carolina
- * Caroline
- * Carolyn
- * Carlijn
- * Karoliina
- * Karolina
- * Karolína
- * Karoline
- * Karolina
- * Keraleyn
- * Carly
- * Carol
- Carola
- * Carole
- * Karol
- * Kyārōla
- * Kerol ,
- Charlotte
- * Carlota
- * Carlotta
- * Charlotta
- Carla
- * Charla
- * Karla
- * Карла
- Charlene, Charlène
Regional forms of the name
List of notable people
Media, arts and entertainment
;In literature| Name | Description |
| Charles Abreu | Cuban composer and pianist |
| Charles Baudelaire | French poet |
| Charles Bukowski | American poet and novelist |
| Charles Dickens | English novelist |
| Charles Dodgson | English clergyman, writer and mathematician |
| Charles Dyer | English playwright, actor and screenwriter |
| Charles Edwards | Canadian journalist and news agency executive |
| Charles Henri Ford | American poet, photographer and writer |
| Charles Fort | American writer and researcher into anomalous phenomena |
| Charles L. Grant | American science-fiction author |
| Charles Roger Hargreaves | Children's author who wrote the Mr. Men and Little Miss series. |
| Charles "Sis Doc" Richardson | American newspaper editor, founder of Chi Omega |
| Charles Lewinsky | Swiss screenwriter, dramatist and playwright |
| Charles Lummis | American journalist, poet, historian; founder of the Southwest Museum |
| Charles Mayer | Canadian journalist, sportsperson and politician |
| Charles Olson | American poet |
| Charles O'Rear | American photographer known for taking Bliss |
| Charles Jacobs Peterson | American author, editor and publisher |
| Charles G.D. Roberts | Canadian poet |
| Charles Webb | American author of The Graduate |
;In music
| Name | Description |
| Charles Aznavour | French-Armenian singer |
| Chuck Berry | American guitarist, singer, and composer |
| Charlie Daniels | American country music figure |
| Charles Gavin | Brazilian rock drummer/producer |
| Charlie Haden | American Jazz bassist and composer |
| Charles Ives | American composer |
| Charles Kelley | Vocalist and founding member of the country music trio Lady A |
| Charles Lloyd | American jazz musician |
| Chuck Mangione | American jazz artist |
| Charles Mingus | American Jazz bassist and composer |
| Charles E. Moody | American gospel songwriter and performer |
| Charlie Parker | American Jazz saxophonist |
| Charlie Simpson | British musician and singer |
| Charles Davis Tillman | pioneer of southern gospel music |
| Charlie Watts | English drummer for the rock group The Rolling Stones |
;In film
| Name | Description |
| Charles Bowers | American cartoonist and early filmmaker |
| Charles Boyer | French-American actor |
| Charles Bronson | American actor |
| Sebastian Cabot | English actor |
| Charlie Chaplin | English comedy actor, famous for silent film acting |
| Charley Chase | American silent film comedian and writer |
| Charles Dance | English actor |
| Charles Durning | American actor |
| Charles Gray | English actor |
| Charles Grodin | American actor and cable talk show host |
| Charles Herbert | American child actor of the '50s and '60s |
| Charlton Heston | American actor |
| Lionel Jeffries | English actor |
| Charles Laughton | English actor |
| Chas Licciardello | Australian comedian and a member of The Chaser |
| Charles Stanton Ogle | silent film actor |
| Charles Nelson Reilly | American comic actor and game show regular |
| Charles Reisner | American actor and film director |
;In television
| Name | Description |
| Charles Gibson | American television journalist |
| Charles Kuralt | American television journalist |
| Charlie Rose | American host of a television interview show |
;In visual arts
| Name | Description |
| Charles Addams | American cartoonist known for his particularly black humor and macabre characters |
| Charles Dellschau | Prussian-American outsider artist |
| Charles Eyck | Dutch visual artist |
| Chuck Jones | American animator |
| Charles R. Knight | wildlife artist, known for prehistoric restorations |
| Charles Lutyens | English artist and art therapist |
| Charles Chandler Reese, American illustrator, newspaper cartoonist, and artist | - |
| Charles Augustus Henry Lutyens | English soldier and painter |
| Charles Martinet | American actor known for playing the voice as Mario and other characters |
| Charles Prendergast | Canadian-American artist |
| Charles Schulz | creator of the comic strip Peanuts |
;Other areas of media, arts and entertainment
| Name | Description |
| Charles White | American YouTuber and Twitch streamer |