Charlie vs Leo
Charlie and Leocompared on official birth-registration statistics and Namewise's recorded data. This page states what each name's record shows — it never picks a winner or scores one name against the other.
Head to head
Ranks are only compared within one published list and one year. Two ranks from different years, from a boys' and a girls' list, or from different registrars are not comparable, so they are not placed side by side.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, Charlie was ranked #17 and Leo #5 among boys in England and Wales.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
In 2025, Charlie was ranked #12 and Leo #5 among boys in New South Wales, Australia.
New Zealand · Boys
In 2023, Charlie was ranked #9 and Leo #5 among boys in New Zealand.
Scotland · Boys
In 2024, Charlie was ranked #19 and Leo #5 among boys in Scotland.
Northern Ireland · Boys
In 2024, Charlie was ranked #8 and Leo #12 among boys in Northern Ireland.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
In 2025, Charlie was ranked #13 and Leo #10 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
Norway · Boys
In 2025, Charlie was ranked #211 and Leo #28 among boys in Norway.
England and Wales · Girls
In 2020, Charlie was ranked #735 and Leo #5493 among girls in England and Wales.
Charlie and Leo over time
Charlie and Leo appear together in 6 published lists, across 154 years of shared records. Charlie held the stronger position in more years in 4 of them, Leo in 2.
The order between them changed and held in 2 of those lists — a change in that published list, never a claim that one name displaced the other.
Charlie reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 4 of those lists, Leo in 2. Each position is a place inside its own list, so this compares when they peaked and never how high.
Counted list by list. Two names in the same published list are measured on the same scale in the same year, so those comparisons are real — but positions from different lists are not, so nothing here is combined into an overall standing.
How this pair is related
The relationship kinds these two qualify for, each under its own stated rule. Every one is drawn from a list they both appear in.
- One moved ahead of the other
In 2017, Leo moved ahead of Charlie in England and Wales · Boys — #7 and #13 the year before became #9 and #7.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Charlie and Leo changed places 4 times in Republic of Ireland · Boys between 1983 and 2025, ending at #13 and #10.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 29 shared years in England and Wales · Boys, Charlie and Leo averaged 43.4 places apart, ending at #17 and #5.
- Longest-running competitions
Charlie and Leo were both ranked in Republic of Ireland · Boys for 33 years, from 1983 to 2025, ending at #13 and #10.
- Peaked in the same years
Both reached their highest recorded position in New South Wales, Australia · Boys within 2 years — Charlie #8 in 2024, Leo #3 in 2022.
List by list
Republic of Ireland · Boys33 shared years, 1983–2025
Charlie held the stronger position in 27 of those years, Leo in 6.
Highest recorded here: Charlie #5 in 2022, Leo #10 in 2025.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Charlie #13, Leo #10.
England and Wales · Boys29 shared years, 1996–2024
Charlie held the stronger position in 21 of those years, Leo in 8.
Highest recorded here: Charlie #4 in 2012, Leo #5 in 2022.
The order changed in 2017: Leo moved ahead. In 2016 they stood at #7 and #13; by 2017 that had become #9 and #7.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Charlie #17, Leo #5.
Northern Ireland · Boys28 shared years, 1997–2024
Charlie held the stronger position in 28 of those years, Leo in 0.
Highest recorded here: Charlie #3 in 2013, Leo #6 in 2023.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Charlie #8, Leo #12.
Norway · Boys26 shared years, 1990–2025
Charlie held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Leo in 26.
Highest recorded here: Charlie #189 in 2017, Leo #28 in 2025.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Charlie #211, Leo #28.
New Zealand · Boys21 shared years, 2003–2023
Charlie held the stronger position in 12 of those years, Leo in 9.
Highest recorded here: Charlie #6 in 2021, Leo #3 in 2019.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2023: Charlie #9, Leo #5.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys17 shared years, 2009–2025
Charlie held the stronger position in 7 of those years, Leo in 10.
Highest recorded here: Charlie #8 in 2024, Leo #3 in 2022.
The order changed in 2016: Leo moved ahead. In 2015 they stood at #21 and #25; by 2016 that had become #25 and #10.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Charlie #12, Leo #5.
Two names moving past each other in a ranking is a fact about the ranking. Namewise does not claim one name displaced the other, that families chose between them, or that either influenced the other — none of that is in this data.
Side by side
| Field | Charlie | Leo |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Editorially researched profile | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | A diminutive of Charles, ultimately interpreted as 'man' or, by an alternative theory, 'army'. | Lion. |
| Origin | English, via Germanic Karl | Latin |
| Pronunciation | /ˈtʃɑːli/ | /ˈliːoʊ/ |
| Syllables | 2 | 1 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | New South Wales, Australia · Boys #12 (2025) | New South Wales, Australia · Boys #5 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | 90/100 | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 82/100 | 95/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Charlie is recorded with a English, via Germanic Karl origin, while Leo is recorded with a Latin origin.
- Charlie has 2 syllables, compared with 1 for Leo.
- Charlie's recorded meaning differs from Leo's — see the table above for each.
- Both names have recorded usage in AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ.
How each name got here
Charlie
Popularity journey
First recorded1983
First recorded at #282 among boys in Republic of Ireland in 1983 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Highest recorded1997–2024
Highest recorded position: #3 among boys in Northern Ireland, in 2013 (recorded 1997–2024).
Northern Ireland · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #12 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
Leo
Popularity journey
First recorded1947
First recorded at #303 among boys in Norway in 1947 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Norway · Boys
Highest recorded2009–2025
Highest recorded position: #3 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 2022 (recorded 2009–2025).
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #5 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys