Is Charlene in the Bible? No, It Is a Feminine Form of Charles

No one named Charlene appears in the Bible. Charlene is a feminine form of Charles, which comes from the Germanic name Karl, “man.” It became common in the United States in the early 20th century, and it has no Hebrew or biblical meaning.

Is Charlene in the Bible?

The name does not occur in the Hebrew, Aramaic or Greek text of the Bible, and no translation uses it. Its variants and the name it comes from, Charles, are not in the Bible either. Charlene was formed in English from a Germanic name that came through Latin and French, so it has no Hebrew form and no Hebrew meaning.

What does Charlene mean?

Charlene is Charles with a feminine ending. Charles is the French and English form of the Latin Carolus, which was how Latin wrote the Germanic name Karl. Behind the Name, a reference on the history of given names, derives Karl from a Germanic word meaning “man,” and notes another theory that traces it to a name element meaning “army.” Other references give the meaning as “free man,” the sense of the related Old English word ceorl, which survives as churl and meant a free man who was neither a noble nor a slave. Charlene is therefore often explained as “free woman.” The meaning “petite and feminine,” sometimes given for Charlene, has no support in name references.

Charleen and Sharlene are English variants. Charline is a French feminine form of Charles, and in France the name is also written Charlène. Charlotte, Caroline and Carla are other feminine forms of the same name.

Does Charlene have a meaning in the Bible?

Charlene has no meaning in the Bible, because the name is not there. The nearest thing is the line between free and slave that the old word ceorl marked. The world of the New Testament drew the same line, and Paul told the Galatians that in Christ it no longer divided believers: “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28).

When did Charlene become popular?

In the United States, Charlene entered the list of the 1,000 most common names for girls in 1907 and rose to 100th place in 1949. It stayed in the top 200 until 1972 and left the list after 1999. In France it was among the 100 most common names for girls from 1983 to 1999 and reached 39th place in 1992.

Charles in Christian history

The Christian history of the name belongs to Charles. It spread across Europe with Charlemagne (742–814), the king of the Franks who came to rule much of Europe, and after him it became the word for “king” in several languages, among them Czech král, Polish król and Russian korol. The best-known saint of the name is Charles Borromeo (1538–1584), archbishop of Milan, a leader of the Catholic reform that followed the Council of Trent. He founded seminaries to train priests, and when famine and plague struck Milan in 1576 and the governor and many nobles left the city, he stayed to feed the hungry and care for the dying.

Is there a Saint Charlène?

No saint is named Charlène. Nominis, the website of saints and names run by the Catholic bishops of France, gives Charlène three name days, all taken from forms of Charles: 2 March for Blessed Charles the Good, a count of Flanders; 17 July for Saint Charlotte; and 4 November for Saint Charles Borromeo. Only the last is kept throughout the Catholic Church; the other two are local feasts.

Related reading

• Charles Is Not in the Bible: Its Root Means “Man”
• Charlotte Is Not in the Bible
• Caroline Is Not in the Bible, but Junia Is
• Is Your Name in the Bible? A Directory of 231 Names