Charlotte is a feminine given name of French origin, derived from the Old French word " Charlote," which was a diminutive of the male name Charles. The name Charles is ultimately derived from the Germanic element "karl" meaning "free man" or "strong."
The name Charlotte has been popular among royalty throughout history. It was first used by the British royal family in 1714 when Queen Anne named her daughter Princess Charlotte, who later became Queen consort to King George III. Since then, several other members of European royalty have borne the name Charlotte, including Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, who married King George III and gave birth to their 15 children.
In France, the name Charlotte gained popularity during the reign of Queen Marie Antoinette, who was born Maria Antonia Josepha Johanna in Austria but became known as Marie Antoinette when she married Louis XVI of France. Although she never went by the name Charlotte herself, it is believed that her Austrian family used this name for her in their private correspondence.
The name Charlotte has also been associated with notable figures throughout history beyond royalty. For example, Charlotte Brontë was an English novelist and poet best known for her novel "Jane Eyre," while Charlotte Perkins Gilman was an American feminist writer and social reformer who published the influential essay "The Yellow Wallpaper."
Today, Charlotte remains a popular choice among parents for their daughters, ranking consistently in the top 100 baby names in several English-speaking countries. Its enduring appeal can be attributed to its classic yet feminine sound, as well as its rich historical significance.
Based on the statistics provided for the name Charlotte in the United States from 1880 to 2023, we can observe several trends:
From 1880 to around 1965, the number of births with the name Charlotte fluctuated but generally remained below 4,000 per year. The highest number during this period was in 1917, with 3,229 births.
Starting from around 1970, there is a noticeable decline in the popularity of the name Charlotte, with the number of births dropping to as low as 829 in 1978. This trend continues until the late 1980s, reaching its lowest point since the beginning of the recorded statistics.
Beginning in the early 1990s, the popularity of the name Charlotte starts to rise again. In 1995, there were 999 births with this name, and by the year 2000, it had climbed to 1,104. This upward trend continues until 2016 when there are 13,117 births recorded for Charlotte.
The most recent data from 2022 shows that the popularity of the name Charlotte has decreased slightly compared to its peak in 2016 and 2017 but still remains quite high with 12,596 births. In comparison, there were 427,311 total births in the United States in 2022.
These statistics demonstrate that while the name Charlotte has not consistently been among the most popular names throughout history, it has enjoyed periods of notable popularity and remains a well-loved choice for parents today.