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Usage:
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The most famous early bearer of the name was Charles the Great (c.688–741), the notable Frankish king and first Holy Roman Emperor, now more commonly known as Charlemagne (from the Latin Karolus Magnus). He was most likely named in honour of his grandfather Charles Martel "Charles the Hammer" or uncle Carloman. Such was his great fame and esteem, and reputation as the "Father of Europe," it is no wonder that his name spread across Europe and was borne by a succession emperors and kings. Many Carolingian kings were named Charles, as well as several later German, French, Spanish and Swedish rulers.
The English cognate Carl, or Ceorl, was used occasionally as a name in Anglo-Saxon England. Bede, for example, mentions an early 7th century king of Mercia by the name of Ceorl. The French form, Charles, was brought to Britain by the Normans, although it was never an especially common name. Only a handful examples can be found dating from the 13th century, mostly in Norfolk and Suffolk. In some cases, the English cognate Carl(e) was recorded. Both the surnames Charles and Carl date from the Middle Ages, but their use probably is more thanks to the word "carl" or "churl," referring to a housecarl or freeman, rather than from the use of the first name.
Given the name's low usage up to the 14th century, it is often believed that Mary Queen of Scots (having spent her formative years in France) "introduced" the name to Britain when she named her eldest son Charles James in 1566, later James VI of Scotland and James I of England. This, however, is certainly untrue, as Charles was being used by gentry families over a century before Mary was born. The Bawtrys of Yorkshire used it as early as 1425 and it was popular among the Pilkingtons of Lancashire, where it spread among their local parishes.* Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk (c.1484–1545) was brother-in-law of Henry VIII and highly influential member of court.
However, Mary Queen of Scots' use of the name did eventually have an effect on its broader usage. Her son, James, was father and grandfather to two English and Scottish kings named Charles, and it was their direct involvement in the English Civil War that led to the name subsequently becoming a favourite among royalist families, and later the Jacobites.
Charles I was crowned in 1625, and the Civil War (1642-49) culminated in his beheading. Smith-Bannister's frequency tables from 1538 to 1700* clearly demonstrate the subsequent impact of this event among royalist families. Charles ranked #31 1560-9, #33 1570-89, #29 1590-9, #27 1600-9, #26 1610-29, #24 1630-9, #19 1640-9, #15 1650-9, #12 1660-79, #14 1680-9, #13 1690-1700.
By the 19th century, the name was a firm staple. In the same way that the majority of Johns went by Jack and Henrys went by Harry, we can see from census records that a great many Charles were called Charlie/Charley familiarly. In 1863, Charlotte Mary Yonge wrote: "rare as it formerly was, [Charles] now disputes the ground with John, George and William, as the most common of English names...and there is hardly a family that has not a Charlie." In 1880, Charles ranked #6 in England and Wales. It had fallen only slightly to #7 in 1890, was #8 in 1900, and #7 in 1904.
Charles has ranked consistently within the Top 100 in England and Wales throughout the 20th century: #9 in 1914, #14 in 1924, #29 in 1934, #38 in 1944 and 1954, #56 in 1964, #70 in 1974, #69 in 1984, #44 in 1994 and #49 in 2004. Since that time it has fluctuated around the #50 mark, ranking at #60 in 2011 with 1,090 births.
The diminutive form, Charlie, did not rank separately in the Top 100 until the 1990s, but has since become extremely popular. From #59 in 1994, Charlie was #33 in 2000, #15 in 2004, #7 in 2008 and #5 in 2011 (5,516 births).
In Scotland Charles ranked #10 in 1900, #15 in 1950, #59 in 1975, #94 in 2005 and #121 in 2012. Charlie was #49 in 2005 and #12 by 2012.
In 2012, Charles was the 4th most popular name in the Telegraph and the 5th most popular name in the Times.
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