Charlotte

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Charlotte

Gender: Feminine
Language: English, French
Etymology:
Charlotte is the French feminine form of Carlotta, a feminine form for Charles, which came from the Germanic word “ceorl,” which means “man,” or “freeman.”

It is also the feminine form of the French diminutive of Charles, Charlot.

History:
The first Carlotta was Carlotta of Savoy (1445-1483), who married King Louis XI of France in 1457. Her name was altered to the more French Charlotte. Charlotte was introduced to England in 1626 when Charlet de la Trénoulle married the Earl of Derby. It did not become popular, however, until King George III married Charlotte-Sophia, Duchess of Mecklenburg (1744-1818) in 1761.

Pronunciation: sharr-lot.

Diminutives: Arla, Arletta, Arleta, Arlette, Lotta, Lotte, Lottie, Tottie.

Alternates: Charlee, Charlette.
German: Karlotte.
Hawaiian: Halaki.
Irish Gaelic: Séarlant, Searlait, Séarlait.
Italian: Carlotta.
Scandinavian: Charlotta.
Spanish: Carlota.

Masculine: Charles.

Famous Bearers:
Artists and Authors:
Charlotte Lennox (1729-1804)
English author.
Charlotte von Stein (1742-1827)
German writer.
Charlotte Smith (1749-1806)
English novelist.
Charlotte Brontë (1816-1855)
English novelist.
Carlotta Grisi (1819-1899)
Italian ballerina.
Charlotte Yonge (1823-1901)
English author.
Charlotte Mew (1869-1928)
English poet.
Lotte Jacobi (1896-1990)
German-American photographer.

Educators, Scholars, and Social Workers:
Charlotte E. Ray (1850-1911)
First black, American, female lawyer.
Charlotte Anna Perkins Gilman (1860-1935)
American feminist.
Charlotta Spears Bass (1880-1969)
American civil rights activist.

Fictional Characters:
Charlotte
The spider from E.B. White’s novel Charlotte’s Web.

Miscellaneous:
Charlotte Corday (1768-1793)
Assassin of Jean-Paul Marat, a French Revolutionary figure.
Charlotte Emerson Brown (1838-1895)
Founder of the General Federation of Women’s Clubs.

Political Figures:
Charlotte Anita Whitney (1867-1955)
Helped found the Communist Party in the U.S.

Royalty:
Charlotte-Sophia, Duchess of Mecklenburg (1744-1818)
Wife to King George III of Great Britain.
Charlotte Augusta, Princess of Wales (1796-1817)
Heir to the throne of Great Britain. Died in childbirth.
Carlota (1840-1927)
Wife of Emperor Maximilian of Mexico.
Charlotte (1896-1985)
Grand Duchess of Luxembourg.

Singers and Entertainers:
Charlotte Saunders Cushman (1816-1876)
American actor.
Lotte Lehmann (1888-1976)
German soprano.
Lotte Lenya (Karoline Blamauer) (1900-1981)
Austrian actress and singer.

Popularity:
Percentage from the 1990 U.S. Census:
0.169 % named Charlotte
0.024 % named Lottie
0.004 % named Carlotta
0.003 % named Arlette
0.003 % named Carlota
0.003 % named Charlette
0.002 % named Arla
0.002 % named Arletta
0.002 % named Carletta

Popularity of Charlotte:
Popularity (for newborns):
In the United States...
1800: 27th most popular.
1850: 51st most popular.
1875: 98th most popular.
1900-1910: 96th most popular.
1910-1920: 83rd most popular.
1920-1930: 80th most popular.
1930-1940: 73rd most popular.
1940-1950: 63rd most popular.
1950-1960: 117th most popular.
1960-1970: 160th most popular.
1970-1980: 204th most popular.
1980-1990: 294th most popular.
1990: 280th most popular.
1991: 276th most popular.
1992: 275th most popular.
1993: 283rd most popular.
1994: 289th most popular.
1995: 274th most popular.
1996: 301st most popular.
1997: 298th most popular.
1998: 303rd most popular.
1999: 304th most popular.
2000: 287th most popular.
2001: 230th most popular.
2002: 206th most popular.
2003: 183rd most popular.

In France...
1900: 42nd most popular.
1910: 41st most popular.
1920: 52nd most popular.
1930: 90th most popular.
1940: 121st most popular.
1949: 189th most popular.
1950-1970: N/A
1972: 145th most popular.
1980: 66th most popular.
1990: 16th most popular.
2000: 25th most popular.

In Ireland...
1998: 126th most popular.
1999: 119th most popular.
2000: 95th most popular.
2001: 88th most popular.
2002: 91st most popular.
2003: 72nd most popular.

Popularity of Lottie:
Popularity (for newborns):
In the United States...
1850: 129th most popular.
1875: 79th most popular.
1900-1910: 118th most popular.
1910-1920: 152nd most popular.
1920-1930: 209th most popular.
1930-1940: 320th most popular.
1940-1950: 490th most popular.
1950-1960: 718th most popular.
1960-2000: N/A