Charlotte
GirlFrench · British English: /ˈʃɑː.lət/; French: /ʃaʁ.lɔt/; German: /ʃaʁˈlɔtə/.
Charlotte has a French form, deeper Germanic roots and a soft opening with a crisp t. Its rhythm changes noticeably between English, French and German.
Origin
French
Pronunciation
British English: /ˈʃɑː.lət/; French: /ʃaʁ.lɔt/; German: /ʃaʁˈlɔtə/.
French feminine form of Charles; often interpreted as “free woman”.
Charlotte is a French feminine form of Charles, which belongs to the Karl name family. The familiar meaning “free woman” adapts an older interpretation of Karl as “man” or “free man” to the feminine name. An alternative explanation connects the older name with “army”. The written ending -otte has quite different effects in speech. French /ʃaʁ.lɔt/ ends firmly on t, British English /ˈʃɑː.lət/ softens the second vowel, and German /ʃaʁˈlɔtə/ adds an audible final syllable. Across these forms, the soft sh opening and more definite t give Charlotte both gentleness and poise. In a multilingual family, deciding which of these rhythms you enjoy helps make the pronunciation choice concrete.
Etymology: Charlotte developed as a French feminine diminutive of Charles, related to Karl. The older Germanic name is usually connected with “man” or “free man”; another proposed interpretation is “army”.
Spelling table
Code
-.-. .... .- .-. .-.. --- - - .
Listen to the dots and dashes, or choose Slow to follow each letter.
Braille
⠠⠉⠓⠁⠗⠇⠕⠞⠞⠑
Name popularity
Latest year: 2025
Girls
Rank2
Boys
Rank9,067
Source
SSA records cover Social Security card applications, not every US birth. Names with fewer than 5 occurrences are omitted; gaps do not mean zero. Spellings are kept separate, except that SSA removes spaces and hyphens. Equal counts are ranked alphabetically. Ranks are calculated separately for boys and girls.
Origin
French
Origin
Germanic