Chas

Chas is an English pet form and informal abbreviation of Charles, which derives from the Germanic name Karl, rooted in a word meaning man or free man. The name Charles gained wide currency across Europe through the fame of the Frankish emperor Charlemagne and later through numerous kings of England, France, and Spain. Chas has been used as a familiar given name or nickname in British and American English since at least the nineteenth century. Related forms include Charlie, Chuck, and the Latinate Carolus.