Charlotte

Charlotte meaning

Charlotte is an international girl's name of Germanic origin (via French).

French feminine of Charlot, 'little Charles'; Germanic 'man, free man'

Also used to mean: free woman, petite

Charlotte is a French name, the feminine of Charlot, "little Charles". Charles goes back, through Latin Carolus, to a Germanic word for "man" or "husband", which in Old English was ceorl, defined by Bosworth-Toller's dictionary as a man, a husband or a free man; the popular meaning "free woman" follows from this. Queen Charlotte, wife of King George III of Britain, gave her name to the American city of Charlotte. Its most celebrated bearer is the novelist Charlotte Brontë, author of Jane Eyre. Short forms include Lottie and Charlie.

Source: Bosworth-Toller, An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary (1898), entry 6049 · entry ceorl · See the entry · checked 25 Oct 2026

References: Online Etymology Dictionary, Charles · Bosworth-Toller, ceorl · Wikipedia, Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz · Wikipedia, Charlotte Brontë

Famous namesakes

• Charlotte Brontë, English novelist
• Queen Charlotte, wife of George III

Popularity abroad

• #2 United States, girls 2025 (up 2 from 4 in 2024)
  US Social Security Administration
• #25 England and Wales, girls 2025
  Office for National Statistics

Official birth registrations. India publishes no national name statistics.

Spellings

Charlotte · Charlot · Sharlotte

Related names

Also meaning strength

Also starting with Cha-

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