NameCensus.

UK surname

Charlotte

A surname derived from the French feminine name Charlotte, meaning "petite" or "little".

In the 1881 census there were 55 people recorded with the Charlotte surname, ranking it #25,862 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 175, ranked #21,383, up from #25,862 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Broadwell, London parishes and Toxteth Park. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Barnsley, Wakefield and Trafford.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Charlotte is 175 in 2016. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 218.2%.

1881 census count

55

Ranked #25,862

Modern count

175

2016, ranked #21,383

Peak year

2016

175 bearers

Map years

5

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Charlotte had 55 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #25,862 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 175 in 2016, ranked #21,383.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 173 in 1861.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Young Families in Industrial Towns.

Charlotte surname distribution map

The map shows where the Charlotte surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Charlotte surname density by area, 2016 modern.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Charlotte over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 100 #17,164
1861 historical 173 #13,553
1881 historical 55 #25,862
1891 historical 81 #26,632
1901 historical 58 #27,724
1911 historical 123 #20,128
1997 modern 80 #29,554
1998 modern 92 #28,680
1999 modern 91 #28,937
2000 modern 80 #30,139
2001 modern 84 #29,508
2002 modern 96 #28,534
2003 modern 107 #26,617
2004 modern 110 #26,451
2005 modern 120 #25,066
2006 modern 121 #25,133
2007 modern 130 #24,389
2008 modern 129 #24,790
2009 modern 137 #24,371
2010 modern 148 #23,697
2011 modern 140 #24,395
2012 modern 149 #23,372
2013 modern 169 #21,826
2014 modern 161 #22,728
2015 modern 168 #21,971
2016 modern 175 #21,383

Geography

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Where Charlottes are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Broadwell, London parishes, Toxteth Park and Banbury. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Barnsley, Wakefield, Trafford, Leeds and King's Lynn and West Norfolk. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Broadwell Gloucestershire
2 London parishes London 1
3 London parishes London 3
4 Toxteth Park Lancashire
5 Banbury Oxfordshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Barnsley 018 Barnsley
2 Wakefield 018 Wakefield
3 Trafford 017 Trafford
4 Leeds 050 Leeds
5 King's Lynn and West Norfolk 011 King's Lynn and West Norfolk

Forenames

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First names often paired with Charlotte

These lists show first names that appear often with the Charlotte surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Charlotte

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Charlotte, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce

Group

Young Families in Industrial Towns

Nationally, the Charlotte surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Young Families in Industrial Towns, within Semi- and Un-Skilled Workforce. This does not mean every Charlotte household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These neighbourhoods house predominantly young, UK-born individuals identifying with a White ethnic group with dependent children. Long-term disability and unpaid care are prevalent, and religious affiliations are uncommon. Housing is terraced or semi-detached and social rented sector housing is the norm. Unemployment is above the Supergroup average, and employment is principally in elementary occupations, as process plant and machine operatives, or in caring and leisure services. Educational attainment is low. The group is scattered throughout former industrial towns in the Midlands and the South Wales Valleys.

Wider pattern

Living in terraced or semi-detached houses, residents of these neighbourhoods typically lack high levels of education and work in elementary or routine service occupations. Unemployment is above average. Residents are predominantly born in the UK, and residents are also predominantly from ethnic minorities. Social (but not private sector) rented sector housing is common. This Supergroup is found throughout the UK’s conurbations and industrial regions but is also an integral part of smaller towns.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers

Within London, Charlotte is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector Professional Support Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Mainly located in Inner London, these neighbourhoods retain a diverse employment structure, with some concentration in associated professional and technical occupations rather than skilled trades or construction. Social renting is more common and levels of homeownership are low. Many residents identify as Black. There is a lower than average rate of marriage or civil partnership, few that are very old (85 or over) and higher than average incidence of disability.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Charlotte is most concentrated in decile 4 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname near the middle of the scale.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

4
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Charlotte falls in decile 1 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Charlotte is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Charlotte, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Charlotte

The surname Charlotte originated in medieval France during the late 11th century. It is derived from the Old French word "charrette", meaning a small cart or chariot. This name likely referred to someone who drove a cart or worked as a carter, transporting goods via wagon or chariot.

Some of the earliest recorded examples of the Charlotte surname can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive survey of landowners and properties commissioned by William the Conqueror. Entries such as "Robert le Charrete" and "Warin le Charetter" appear in this historic record.

As a locational surname, Charlotte may also have originated from various place names in France, such as Charleville or Charlieu. These locations were often named after a local landowner or prominent figure with the name "Charles" or a variation thereof.

One of the earliest known bearers of the Charlotte surname was Enguerrand de Charlotte, a French knight who participated in the Third Crusade (1189-1192) under King Philip II of France. Another notable figure was Jean de Charlotte, a 14th-century French poet and cleric who authored several religious works.

In England, the Charlotte surname can be traced back to the 13th century, with the earliest recorded instance being William le Charetter, mentioned in the Curia Regis Rolls of 1230. This record documented legal proceedings during the reign of King Henry III.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Charlotte surname spread to other parts of Europe, including the Netherlands and Germany. Notable bearers include Johann Friedrich Charlotte (1646-1717), a German philosopher and theologian known for his works on ethics and natural law.

Other historical figures bearing the Charlotte surname include Charles Joseph Charlotte (1770-1848), a French military officer who served under Napoleon Bonaparte, and Charles Marie René Charlotte (1796-1859), a Belgian politician and statesman who served as Prime Minister of Belgium from 1857 to 1859.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Charlotte families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Charlotte surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Oxfordshire leads with 15 Charlottes recorded in 1881 and an index of 45.29x.

County Total Index
Oxfordshire 15 45.29x
Middlesex 14 2.61x
Warwickshire 9 6.65x
Gloucestershire 8 7.60x
Cheshire 3 2.53x
Lincolnshire 2 2.33x
Monmouthshire 1 2.58x
Northamptonshire 1 1.98x
Worcestershire 1 1.43x
Yorkshire 1 0.19x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Broadwell in Gloucestershire leads with 8 Charlottes recorded in 1881 and an index of 11428.57x.

Place Total Index
Broadwell 8 11428.57x
Islington London 7 13.46x
Yarnton 6 12000.00x
Birmingham 5 11.09x
Burford 5 1724.14x
Chester St Mary On Hill 3 294.12x
Old Stratford 3 389.61x
Hampstead London 2 23.95x
Oxford St Mary Magdalen 2 512.82x
Paddington London 2 10.14x
Attercliffe Cum Darnall 1 20.20x
Claines 1 52.08x
Corby 1 714.29x
Hackney London 1 3.33x
Kirton In Lindsey 1 294.12x
Oxford St Mary Virgin 1 1666.67x
Oxford St Thomas 1 64.52x
Ratcliffe London 1 33.78x
St Nicholas Lincoln 1 121.95x
St Paul Covent Garden 1 185.19x
St Woollos 1 23.09x
Warwick St Mary 1 85.47x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Charlotte surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 4
Elizabeth 3
Alice 2
Ellen 2
Hannah 2
Sarah 2
Bessie 1
Caroline 1
Charlotte 1
Eliza 1
Emily 1
Emma 1
Harriet 1
Jane 1
Kate 1
Laura 1
Lilly 1
Melvenia 1
Phoebe 1
Rebecca 1
Rose 1
Selina 1
Sophia 1
Susan 1

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Charlotte surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Top occupations

Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Charlotte households.

FAQ

Charlotte surname: questions and answers

How common was the Charlotte surname in 1881?

In 1881, 55 people were recorded with the Charlotte surname. That placed it at #25,862 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Charlotte surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 175 in 2016. That gives Charlotte a modern rank of #21,383.

What does the Charlotte surname mean?

A surname derived from the French feminine name Charlotte, meaning "petite" or "little".

What does the Charlotte map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Charlotte bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.