Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “Charlene” come from?

Charlene is the feminine form of Charles, from Old French Charles, from Latin Carolus, ultimately derived from Proto-Indo-European ǵerh₂- meaning to grow or become strong.

Ancestry of “Charlene”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishCharles—
2FrenchCharlesCharles
3Old FrenchCharles—
4LatinCarolusCharles
5Middle High GermanKarl—
6Old High Germankarlman
7Proto-Germanickarilazfree man, franklin; little man, young man
8Proto-Germanickaraz—
9Proto-Indo-Europeanǵerh₂-to grow old, to mature

Words derived from “Charlene”

  • Charlène
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ǵerh₂- →