CHARLESTON
The surname Charleston is an English name that was first recorded in the British Isles. It is associated with the English language and Christian rites. The name falls within the category of locational surnames derived from place‑names.
The earliest etymology is based on the Old English words ceorl, meaning “free man,” and tun, meaning “settlement” or “enclosure.” Consequently, Charleston can be interpreted as “the settlement of free men.” This meaning is supported by linguistic analysis of the components of the name.
In addition to its locational origin, Charleston also evolved from the personal name Charles, itself a Latinised form of the Germanic Karl or Carlo meaning “man.” The personal name was introduced into England by the Norman‑French after the invasion of 1066, but it did not become popular until the Stuart period of the 16th century. The name has several patronymic variants, including Carson, Charlson, Charlesson, Charleston and Charlestone, all of which spread through the British Isles during the medieval period.
Documentary evidence shows that the surname is earlier than any place named Charleston or Charlestown. The first recorded spelling is that of Osbert Cherle, dated 1193 in the Pipe Rolls of Warwickshire during the reign of King Richard the Lionheart (1189–1199). Other early records include the charter of the Curia Rolls of Suffolk in 1208, and the name Frethesant Cherl mentioned in Newsham, Cambridgeshire, in 1221. In Germany, Rudolf Karle, a Cloister worker, was recorded in the registers of St Baîtèen in 1275.
Places bearing the name Charleston or Charlestown were established later, all after the surname had already been in use, and their existence is largely a consequence of the popularity of the personal name in the 16th and 17th centuries. One noted early settler of the Virginia colony was Dorothie Charleson, who sailed on the Transport of London in 1635. This illustrates how the surname spread beyond England during the early modern period.
Typical given names associated with the Charleston surname
Male
- Adam
- Alexander
- Andrew
- David
- Derek
- Ian
- James
- Michael
- Peter
- Richard
- Robert
- Scott
Female
- Amanda
- Angela
- Anne
- Carol
- Clare
- Collette
- Eileen
- Elizabeth
- Gillian
- Katherine
- Lesley
- Mary
- Nicola
Similar and related surnames
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Charleston in...
Braille
⠉⠓⠁⠗⠇⠑⠎⠞⠕⠝
Morse
-.-......-.-..-......-----.
Semaphore
There are approximately 554 people named Charleston in the UK. That makes it one of Britain's least common surnames. Only around nine in a million people in Britain are named Charleston.
Surname type: Location or geographical feature
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Charleston
- Craig Charleston - Football referee
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.