Charley

Charley is an English given name derived from the Germanic name Karl, rooted in a word meaning man or free man. It originated as an informal variant of Charles, which spread widely across Europe through the influence of Charlemagne, the eighth-century Frankish emperor whose Latinized name, Carolus Magnus, meant Charles the Great. Charley functions as both a masculine and feminine pet form, and in the latter use it overlaps with the spelling Charli and Charlie. Related forms include Carl, Carlo, Carlos, and Karel.