- For people with family name Charles, see Charles (surname)
Charles is a given name for males, and has its origins in the Common Germanic term Churl, where it originally was used to indicate a free man, but not one belonging to the nobility.
Derivations of Charles include Charlie and Chuck.
Female versions of this name include Charlotte, Lotte, Charlotta, Carolyn, Lotta and Charlene.
Charles may also refer to:
People
Nobility
In Austrian nobility:
In Bohemian nobility:
In British nobility:
- Charles I of England, King of England, Scotland, and Ireland
- Charles II of England, the King of England, King of Scots, and King of Ireland
- Charles Edward Stuart, the exiled claimant to the thrones of England, Scotland, and Ireland
- Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis, English military commander and colonial governor
- Charles, Prince of Wales, the eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh
In French nobility:
- Charlemagne (Charles I of France), 1st Holy Roman Emperor, son of King Pippin the Short and Bertrada of Laon
- Charles the Bald, the youngest son of Emperor Louis the Pious
- Charles the Fat, son of Louis the German
- Charles the Simple, member of the Carolingian dynasty who ruled as King of France
- Charles IV of France, member of the Capetian Dynasty
- Charles V of France, king of France from 1364 to 1380 and a member of the Valois Dynasty
- Charles VI of France, member of the Valois Dynasty
- Charles VII of France, king of France from 1422 to 1461
- Charles VIII of France, King of France from 1483 to his death
- Charles IX of France, the son of King Henri II of France and Catherine de Medici
- Charles X of France, the grandson of Louis XV and his Polish queen
- Charles Joseph Bonaparte, grandson of Jérôme Bonaparte
- Napoleon Francis Joseph Charles Bonaparte, the son of Napoleon Bonaparte
- Charles Louis Napoleon Bonaparte, President of France from 1849 to 1852
- Napoléon Joseph Charles Paul Bonaparte, the son of Jerome Bonaparte and Catharina of Württemberg
- Charles I of Sicily
- Charles de Secondat, baron de Montesquieu, French political thinker who lived during the Enlightenment
- Charles, Count Léon, the illegitimate son of Emperor Napoleon I of France and Catherine Eléonore Denuelle de la Plaigne
- Charles, duc d'Orléans, Duke of Valois, Count of Beaumont and of Blois, lord of Coucy, and the inheritor of Asti in Italy via his mother Valentina Visconti
- Charles, Duke of Brittany, the son of Guy I of Blois-Châtillon
- Charles I, Duke of Burgundy, the son of Philip III, Duke of Burgundy and Isabella of Portugal, Duchess of Burgundy
- Charles I, Duke of Bourbon, Count of Clermont-en-Beauvaisis
- Charles II, Duke of Bourbon, clergyman, Cardinal and Archbishop of Lyon
- Charles III, Duke of Bourbon, Count of Montpensier and Dauphin of Auvergne
- Charles II, Duke of Lorraine, the duke of Lorraine from 1390 to his death and constable of France from 1418 to 1425
- Charles III, Duke of Lorraine, the eldest surviving son of Francis I, Duke of Lorraine and Christina of Denmark
- Charles IV, Duke of Lorraine, European nobility
- Charles of Lorraine, Duke of Mayenne, French nobleman and military leader
- Prince Charles Alexander of Lorraine, the son of Leopold Joseph
In German nobility:
In Hungarian nobility:
In Spanish nobility:
- Charles II of Navarre, one of the nobles involved in the repression of the Jacquerie
- Charles III of Navarre, Navarrese monarch
- Charles I of Spain, King of Aragon, King of Castile, King of Naples and Sicily, Archduke of Austria, Duke of Burgundy, and was also Holy Roman Emperor as Charles V)
- Charles II of Spain, the only surviving son of his Habsburg predecessor, King Philip IV of Spain and his second Queen
- Charles III of Spain, the first son of the second marriage of Philip V with Elizabeth Farnese of Parma
- Charles IV of Spain, King of Spain from December 14, 1788 until his abdication on March 19, 1808
- Juan Carlos I of Spain, the reigning King of Spain
In Italian nobility:
- Charles I of Savoy, the Duke of Savoy from 1482 to 1490 and titular king of Cyprus, Jerusalem, and Armenia from 1485 to 1490
- Charles II of Savoy, the Duke of Savoy from 1490 to 1496
- Charles III, Duke of Savoy, Duke of Savoy from 1504 to 1553
- Charles Albert of Sardinia, the Duke of Savoy, Piedmont, Aosta and King of Sardinia from 1831 to 1849
- Charles Emmanuel I, Duke of Savoy, the Duke of Savoy from 1580 to 1630
- Charles Emmanuel II, Duke of Savoy, the Duke of Savoy from 1638 to 1675
- Charles Emmanuel III of Sardinia, the Duke of Savoy and King of Sardinia from 1730 to 1773
- Charles Emmanuel IV of Sardinia, King of Sardinia from 1796 to 1802
- Charles Felix of Sardinia, the Duke of Savoy, Piedmont, Aosta and King of Sardinia from 1821 to 1831
- Charles I of Sicily, the posthumous son of Louis VIII of France and Blanche of Castile
- Charles II of Naples, son of Charles I of Naples
In Monaco nobility:
In Romanian nobility:
In Swedish nobility:
- Charles VII of Sweden, King of Sweden and Earl of Götaland from circa 1161 to 1167
- Charles VIII of Sweden, King of Sweden
- Charles IX of Sweden, King of Sweden, the youngest son of Gustav Vasa and Margareta Leijonhufvud
- Charles X Gustav of Sweden, the second Wittelsbach King of Sweden after Christopher of Bavaria
- Charles XI of Sweden, King of Sweden, the only son of Charles X of Sweden and Hedwig Eleonora of Holstein-Gottorp
- Charles XII of Sweden, the fourth King of the Wittelsbach dynasty in Sweden
- Charles XIII of Sweden, King of Sweden, the second son of King Adolf Frederick of Sweden and Louisa Ulrika of Prussia
- Charles XIV John of Sweden, King of Sweden and Norway. Former Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte, Marshal of France
- Charles XV of Sweden, King of Sweden, the eldest son of King Oscar I and Josephine of Leuchtenberg
- Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden, Charles XVI Gustaf of Sweden, King of Sweden
In other nobility:
Acting
- Charles Boyer, French-American actor
- Roger Charles Carmel, American character 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, Americam actor
- Charles Gray (actor), English actor
- Charles Grodin, American actor and cable talk show host
- Charlton Heston (born John Charles Carter), American actor
- Charles Laughton, English actor
- Chas Licciardello, Australian comedian and a member of The Chaser
- Charles Nelson Reilly, American comic actor and game show regular
- Charles Reisner, American actor and film director
Art
Crime & Law Enforcement
Fictional
- Charles in Charge, American TV sitcom
- Charlie Brown, character from the Peanuts comic strip
- Charles Montgomery Burns, a character on The Simpsons, usually called "Mr. Burns" or "Monty Burns"
- Chuck E Cheese, mouse mascot for pizza chain of same name
- Chuckie Finster, character from the Nickelodeon animated television series Rugrats and All Grown Up!
- Charles Foster Kane, character from the Orson Welles' film Citizen Kane
- Charles Gunn, major character of the TV show Angel
- Charlie Horse, one of Shari Lewis' puppets
- Charles Logan (24 character), a fictional character in the TV series 24
- Charlie McCarthy, Edgar Bergen's ventriloquist's dummy
- Chucky Pancamo, character from Oz played by Chuck Zito
- Charles Tucker III, fictional character in the television series Star Trek: Enterprise
- Charley Weaver, character of comedian Cliff Arquette
- Major Charles Emerson Winchester III, character on M*A*S*H
- Charles Xavier, character from X-Men
- Chuck Bass, character from Gossip Girl
- Charles, character on the cartoon Duckman
- Charles, wrestler in Shakespeare's As You Like It
- Charles "Chachi" Arcola, character on Happy Days and Joanie Loves Chachi
- Charlie Bucket, title character of the children's novel, Charlie and The Chocolate Factory
- Charles Morse, Anthony Hopkins's character in The Edge (film) (1997)
- Ensign Charles Parker (played by Tim Conway), on McHale's Navy
- Charles Palantine, character from the film Taxi Driver
- Charles Stewart, character from Mona Lisa Smile
Literature
- Charles Bukowski, American poet and novelist
- Charles Dickens, English novelist
- Charles Dodgson (pen-name: Lewis Carroll), English clergyman, writer and mathematician
- Charles G. Finney, novelist, author of The Circus of Dr. Lao
- Charles Henri Ford, American poet, photographer, and writer
- Charles Fort, American writer and researcher into anomalous phenomena
- Charles Grant, American science-fiction author
- Charles Webb, American author of The Graduate
- "Charles (short story)", a popular short story by Shirley Jackson
Music
- Charles Aznavour, French-Armenian ballad singer.
- Chuck Berry, American guitarist, singer, and composer
- Charlie Daniels, American country music figure
- Charlie Haden, American Jazz bassist and composer
- Buddy Holly's real name was Charles Hardin Holley
- Charles Ives, American Composer
- Charles Mingus, American Jazz bassist and composer
- Charlie Parker, American Jazz saxophonist
- Charles Schuldiner, American guitarist, singer, and composer
- Sean Charles Watkins, one-third of the progressive bluegrass band Nickel Creek
- Charlie Watts, English drummer for the rock group The Rolling Stones
Political
- Charles Bent, first Governor of New Mexico Territory, assassinated in 1847
- Charles Joseph Bonaparte, former U. S. Attorney General
- Charles Bradlaugh, British political activist and militant atheist, founder of the National Secular Society
- Charles Colson, U.S. President Nixon's Chief Counsel, involved in the Watergate scandal
- Charles Magill Conrad, former American Secretary of War
- Charles Curtis, 31st American Vice President, under Herbert Hoover
- Charles G. Dawes, 30th American Vice President, under Calvin Coolidge
- Charles Devens, former U. S. Attorney General
- Charles de Gaulle, French military leader and statesman
- Charles W. Fairbanks, 26th American Vice President, under Theodore Roosevelt
- Charles A. Ford, American diplomat
- Charles Gibbs (Alberta politician), Canadian politician
- Charles Evans Hughes, former U. S. Secretary of State
- Charles Lee, former U. S. Attorney General
- Charles Pearson, former Solicitor for The City of London, and early railway advocate
- Chuck Robb, former Governor of Virginia & U.S. Senator
- Charlie Rose (congressman), American congressman (D, N.C.)
- Charles Scott (governor of Kentucky), also George Washington's Chief of Intelligence during the American Revolution
- Charles G. Taylor, former president of Liberia
- Charles Thomson, secretary of the Continental Congress
- Charlie Wilson (congressman), Texas congressman, subject of 2007 movie Charlie Wilson's War
Religion
- Saint Charles Borromeo, saint and cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church
- Charles W. Penrose (1832–1925), leader in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
- Charles Haddon Spurgeon, Reformed Baptist preacher
- Charles Wesley, co-founder of the Methodist Church and writer of many hymns still in use today
- Charles Grandison Finney, (1792 – 1875), often called "America's foremost revivalist," was a major leader of the Second Great Awakening in America, which had a great impact on the social history of the United States
Science
- Charles Babbage, English mathematician, philosopher, mechanical engineer and computer scientist
- Charles L. Bennett, American astrophysicist
- Charles Best, one of the two men who discovered insulin
- Charles Darwin, British naturalist
- Charles Dawson, English archaeologist, involved in the Piltdown Man hoax
- Charles Thomas Jackson, American geologist
- Charles T. Kowal, American astronomer, discoverer of Chiron and 2 moons of Jupiter
- Othniel Charles Marsh, American paleontologist
- Edward Charles Pickering, American astronomer
- Charles Hazelius Sternberg, American fossil collector, involved in the Bone Wars
- Charles Mortram Sternberg, son of above, also a fossil collector & paleontologist
- Charles Tilly, American sociologist
- Charles Thomson Rees Wilson, Scottish physicist
- Charles Wright Mills, American sociologist
Sports
Other people
- Charles McLean Andrews, American historian and professor
- Chuck Barris, American game show producer
- Charles Black, American constitutional law professor and jazz fan
- Charles Conrad, astronaut, 3rd man to walk on the moon
- Charles Floyd (explorer), only casualty of the Lewis and Clark Expedition
- Charles Furnas, world's first airplane passenger
- Charles Gibson, American television journalist
- Chuck Jones, American animator
- Charles Keating, American financier, instigator of the 'Keating 5 scandal'
- Charles Kuralt, American television journalist
- Charles Lindbergh, first to fly solo non-stop across the Atlantic Ocean
- "Lonesome" Charley Reynolds, U. S. Western scout
- Charlie Rose, American PBS TV interview show host
- Charlie Smith (centenarian) (died 1979), who claimed to be the oldest person in the United States
- Charles Upham, VC and Bar. Most decorated Commonwealth serviceman of WW2
- Chuck Yeager, American test pilot. First man to break the sound barrier
- Charles Webb (architect), Australian architect
Places
- Charles River in Boston, Massachusetts
- Charles, Providence, Rhode Island, a neighborhood in Providence, Rhode Island
- Charles Bridge in the Czech Republic
- Charles University in Prague
- Charleston, several places of this name, including:
- Charlestown, Massachusetts
- Charles Town, West Virginia
- Charles City, several places of this name
- Charles (crater), a lunar crater
Other things
See also
- Carl (name)
- Charley
- Charlie
- Charly (disambiguation)
- Chuck
- Charleston
- Charlestown
- Charles Anderson, for others by that name
- Charles Andrews, for others by that name
- Charles Brown, for others by that name
- Charles Clark, for others by that name
- Charles Floyd, for others by that name
- Charles Gibson (disambiguation), for others by that name
- Charles Jones, for others by that name
- Charles Keating (disambiguation), for others by that name
- Charles Logan, for others by that name
- Charles Miller, for others by that name
- Charles Nelson, for others by that name
- Charles Parker, for others by that name
- Charles Roberts, for others by that name
- Charles Robertson (disambiguation), for others by that name
- Charles Robinson (disambiguation), for others by that name
- Charles Scott, for others by that name
- Charles Smith, for others by that name
- Charles Stewart, for others by that name
- Charles Taylor, for others by that name
- Charles Thomson (disambiguation), for others by that name
- Charles White, for others by that name
- charley horse
- Chuck Cunningham Syndrome
