| Charlotte | Louise | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Free | Famous warrior |
| Origin | French | French |
| Gender | Girl | Girl |
| Pronunciation | SHAR-lut | loo-EEZ |
| Syllables | 2 | 1 |
| First appeared | 1880 | 1880 |
| Peak year | 2025 (13,400) | 1921 (9,180) |
| In 2025 | 13,400 | 579 |
| Trend | Near its peak | Rising |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | Charlotte | Louise |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 78,055 | 2,994 |
| 2010s | 102,488 | 2,489 |
| 2000s | 24,266 | 1,035 |
| 1990s | 9,696 | 1,295 |
| 1980s | 8,486 | 1,965 |
| 1970s | 12,513 | 2,918 |
| 1960s | 24,232 | 10,894 |
| 1950s | 36,997 | 25,852 |
| 1940s | 49,478 | 38,665 |
| 1930s | 34,646 | 49,859 |
| 1920s | 35,752 | 82,895 |
| 1910s | 22,548 | 67,973 |
| 1900s | 6,194 | 22,862 |
| 1890s | 4,771 | 15,174 |
| 1880s | 3,311 | 9,596 |
Charlotte is a French feminine diminutive of Charles, from the Germanic for “free man” — so “little free one.” Borne by queens and by the novelist Charlotte Brontë, it is a modern favourite.
Louise is the French feminine of Louis, from the Germanic for “famous warrior.” It has been a steady, elegant classic across Europe.
Charlotte is more popular than Louise today: about 13,400 US babies were given the name Charlotte in 2025, compared with 579 named Louise.
Charlotte means Free (French origin), while Louise means Famous warrior (French origin).
In US records, Charlotte first appears in 1880 and Louise in 1880, so Charlotte has the longer recorded history.